Extracting video conference participants to extended reality environment

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are provided for managing an extended reality conference. In one implementation, the computer-readable medium may include instructions to cause a processor to: facilitate a multi-participant video conference; enable, via a wearable extended reality appliance, viewing of a first environment representing a physical space and a second peripheral environment; enable a display of participants in the second peripheral environment; receive a first selection of a first participant in the second peripheral environment; move a virtual representation of the first participant to the first environment while a second participant remains in the second peripheral environment; receive a second selection of the second participant in the second peripheral environment; and move a virtual representation of the second participant to the first environment.

CROSS REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of PCT International Application No.PCT/US2023/011401, filed on Jan. 24, 2023, which claims the benefit ofpriority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/302,851, filed onJan. 25, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/307,203, filedon Feb. 7, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/307,207,filed on Feb. 7, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.63/307,217, filed on Feb. 7, 2022, U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 63/319,423, filed on Mar. 14, 2022, U.S. Provisional PatentApplication No. 63/344,727, filed on May 23, 2022, U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 63/357,225, filed on Jun. 30, 2022, and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 63/406,000, filed on Sep. 13, 2022,all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

BACKGROUND I. Technical Field

The present disclosure generally relates to the field of extendedreality. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to systems,methods, and devices for providing productivity applications using anextended reality environment.

II. Background Information

For many years, PC users were faced with a productivity dilemma: eitherto limit their mobility (when selecting a desktop computer) or to limittheir screen size (when selecting a laptop computer). One partialsolution to this dilemma is using a docking station. A docking stationis an interface device for connecting a laptop computer with otherdevices. By plugging the laptop computer into the docking station,laptop users can enjoy the increased visibility provided by a largermonitor. But because the large monitor is stationary, the mobility ofthe user—while improved—is still limited. For example, even laptop userswith docking stations do not have the freedom of using two 32″ screensanywhere they want.

Some of the disclosed embodiments are directed to providing a newapproach for solving the productivity dilemma, one that uses extendedreality (XR) to provide a mobile environment that enables users toexperience the comfort of a stationary workspace anywhere they want byproviding virtual desktop-like screens.

SUMMARY

Embodiments consistent with the present disclosure provide systems,methods, and devices for providing and supporting productivityapplications using an extended reality environment.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for enabling user interfacedisplay mode toggling. These embodiments may involve presentinginformation in a first display region, the first display region havingpredefined boundaries, wherein the information is manipulatable via auser interface presentable in the first display region; presenting, viaa wearable extended reality appliance, a second display region beyondthe predefined boundaries of the first display region, wherein thesecond display region is visible via the wearable extended realityappliance; providing a control for altering a location of the userinterface, wherein in a first mode, the user interface is presented inthe first display region while the information is presented in the firstdisplay region and in a second mode, the user interface is presented inthe second display region outside the predefined boundaries of the firstdisplay region while the information is presented in the first displayregion; and enabling toggling between the first mode and the second modevia the control.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for enabling location-basedvirtual content. These embodiments may involve receiving an indicationof an initial location of a particular wearable extended realityappliance; performing a first lookup in a repository for a match betweenthe initial location and a first extended reality display ruleassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with theinitial location, wherein the first extended reality display rulepermits a first type of content display in the initial location andprevents a second type of content display in the initial location;implementing the first extended reality display rule to thereby enablefirst instances of the first type of content to be displayed at theinitial location via the particular wearable extended reality appliancewhile preventing second instances of the second type of content frombeing displayed at the initial location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance; receiving an indication of a subsequentlocation of the particular wearable extended reality appliance;performing a second lookup in the repository for a match between thesubsequent location and a second extended reality display ruleassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with thesubsequent location, wherein the second extended reality display ruleprevents the first type of content display in the subsequent locationand permits the second type of content display in the subsequentlocation; and implementing the second extended reality display rule toenable third instances of the second type of content to be displayed atthe subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance while preventing fourth instances of the first type of contentfrom being displayed at the subsequent location via the particularwearable extended reality appliance.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for managing privacy in anextended reality environment. These embodiments may involve receivingimage data from an image sensor associated with a wearable extendedreality appliance, the image data is reflective of a physicalenvironment; accessing data characterizing a plurality of virtualobjects for association with locations in the physical environment, thedata representing a first virtual object and a second virtual object;accessing privacy settings classifying at least one of the first virtualobject and a location of the first virtual object as private,classifying a first extended reality appliance as approved forpresentation of private information, and classifying a second extendedreality appliance as non-approved for presentation of the privateinformation; and simultaneously enabling a presentation of an augmentedviewing of the physical environment, such that during the simultaneouspresentation, the first extended reality appliance presents the firstvirtual object and the second virtual object in the physicalenvironment, and the second extended reality appliance presents thesecond virtual object, omitting presentation of the first virtual objectin compliance with the privacy settings.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for capturing extended realityenvironments. These embodiments may involve receiving image datarepresenting at least a 140 degrees field of view of a physicalenvironment, the image data being received from at least one imagesensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance; virtuallyassociating at least two extended reality objects with a compositeperspective of the physical environment, wherein the at least twoextended reality objects are spaced apart by at least 140 degrees from apoint of view of the wearable extended reality appliance; displaying,via the wearable extended reality appliance and during a particular timeperiod, changes in one of the at least two extended reality objectswhile refraining from displaying changes in another of the at least twoextended reality objects; and enabling non-synchronous display ofconcurrent changes in the at least two extended reality objects thattook place during the particular time period.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for managing an extended realityconference. These embodiments may involve facilitating amulti-participant video conference between a plurality of physicallydispersed participants; enabling, via a wearable extended realityappliance, viewing of a first environment representing a physical spaceand a second peripheral environment; enabling a display of the pluralityof participants in the second peripheral environment, the plurality ofparticipants including a first participant and a second participant;receiving a first selection of the first participant in the secondperipheral environment for virtual movement to the first environment;receiving a first environmental placement location associated with thefirst selection, wherein the first environmental placement locationcorresponds to a first region of the physical space; in response to thefirst selection and the first environmental placement location, moving avirtual representation of the first participant to the first environmentin a manner simulating the first participant physically located in thefirst region of the physical space while the second participant remainsin the second peripheral environment; receiving a second selection ofthe second participant in the second peripheral environment for virtualmovement to the first environment; receiving a second environmentalplacement location associated with the second selection, wherein thesecond environmental placement location corresponds to a second regionof the physical space different from the first region; and in responseto the second selection and the second environmental placement location,moving a virtual representation of the second participant to the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in the second region of the physical space, such that whenviewed through the wearable extended reality appliance, the firstparticipant and the second participant are simulated as being physicallypresent simultaneously in the first environment.

Some disclosed embodiments may include systems, methods andnon-transitory computer readable media for managing extended realityvideo conferences. These embodiments may involve receiving a request toinitiate a video conference between a plurality of participants;receiving image data captured by at least one image sensor associatedwith a wearable extended reality appliance, the image data reflecting alayout of a physical environment in which the wearable extended realityappliance is located; analyzing the image data to identify at least oneinterference region in the physical environment; receiving visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants; and causing thewearable extended reality appliance to display the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants at multiple distinctlocations other than in the at least one interference region, such thatthe at least one interference region is devoid of any of the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants.

Consistent with other disclosed embodiments, non-transitorycomputer-readable storage media may store program instructions, whichare executed by at least one processing device and perform any of themethods described herein.

The foregoing general description and the following detailed descriptionare exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of theclaims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this disclosure, illustrate various disclosed embodiments. Inthe drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of a user, using an example extendedreality system, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of the main components of the exampleextended reality system of FIG. 1 , consistent with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating some of the components of aninput unit, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating some of the components of anextended reality unit, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating some of the components of aremote processing unit, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary system for enabling a user interfacedisplay toggled to a first mode of operation, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 6B illustrates the exemplary system of FIG. 6A for enabling a userinterface display toggled to a second mode of operation, consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates another system for enabling user interface displaymode toggling, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

FIGS. 8A-8B together, illustrate a dual mode user interface, consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 8C-8D together, illustrate another dual mode user interface,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an example process for enabling userinterface display mode toggling, consistent with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary system for enabling location-basedvirtual content at an initial location, consistent with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary system for enabling location-basedvirtual content at a subsequent location, consistent with embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary system for enabling location-basedvirtual content at another location, consistent with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary system for enabling location-basedvirtual content at an additional location, consistent with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary flowchart of example process forenabling user interface display mode toggling, consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary physical environment, consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary image of the physical environment ofFIG. 15 captured by an image sensor of a wearable extended realityappliance, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary presentation of an augmented viewing ofthe physical environment of FIG. 15 , consistent with some embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary system for managing privacy in anextended reality environment, consistent with some disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 19 illustrates the system of FIG. 18 receiving one or moreuser-initiated inputs to modify privacy settings, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary view via the second extended realityappliance after one or more virtual objects have been moved from thefirst location to the second location, consistent with some disclosedembodiments.

FIG. 21 illustrates another exemplary view via the second extendedreality appliance after one or more virtual objects have been moved fromthe second location to the first location, consistent with somedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 22 illustrates another exemplary view via the second extendedreality appliance after one or more virtual objects have been moved fromthe second location to the first location, consistent with somedisclosed embodiments.

FIG. 23 illustrates another exemplary view via the second extendedreality appliance, consistent with some disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 24 illustrates another exemplary view via the first extendedreality appliance and an eight view via the second extended realityappliance removal of a physical object from the first location to thesecond location, consistent with some disclosed embodiments.

FIG. 25 illustrates a flowchart of an example process for managingprivacy in an extended reality environment, consistent with embodimentsof the present disclosure.

FIG. 26 is an exemplary perspective view showing a wearer of a wearableextended reality appliance in a physical environment, consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 27 is an exemplary view of an extended reality object from theperspective of the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance inFIG. 26 .

FIG. 28 is another exemplary perspective view showing the wearer of thewearable extended reality appliance in the physical environment of FIG.26 .

FIG. 29 is an exemplary image of the physical environment of FIG. 26 asseen from the perspective of a viewer.

FIG. 30 is an exemplary bird's-eye view of the physical environment ofFIG. 26 .

FIG. 31 is an exemplary graphical user interface element for changingviews of the extended reality environment and the physical environment,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 32 is an exemplary side view of furniture in the physicalenvironment of FIG. 26 .

FIG. 33 is an exemplary view of the extended reality environment of FIG.26 , absent furniture.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of an exemplary method for capturing the physicalenvironment and the extended reality environment, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39 are various use snapshots of perspectiveviews of a physical environment in which video conference participantsare extracted to provide an extended reality experience, consistent withsome embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for extractingvideo conference participants to an extended reality environment,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 41, 42, and 43 are exemplary use snapshots of perspective views ofa physical environment associated with the positioning of participantsin an extended reality conference, consistent with some embodiments ofthe present disclosure.

FIG. 44 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process for positioningparticipants in an extended reality conference, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 45, 46, and 47 are exemplary use snapshots of perspective views ofa physical environment associated with designating a speakingparticipant, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.

FIG. 48 is a flowchart of an exemplary process for identifying anddesignating a speaking participant, consistent with embodiments of thepresent disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawingsand the following description to refer to the same or similar parts.While several illustrative embodiments are described herein,modifications, adaptations and other implementations are possible. Forexample, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to thecomponents illustrated in the drawings, and the illustrative methodsdescribed herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, removing,or adding steps to the disclosed methods. Accordingly, the followingdetailed description is not limited to the disclosed embodiments andexamples. Instead, the proper scope is defined by the appended claims.

Moreover, various terms used in the specification and claims may bedefined or summarized differently when discussed in connection withdiffering disclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that thedefinitions, summaries, and explanations of terminology in each instanceapply to all instances, even when not repeated, unless the transitivedefinition, explanation or summary would result in inoperability of anembodiment.

Throughout, this disclosure mentions “disclosed embodiments,” whichrefer to examples of inventive ideas, concepts, and/or manifestationsdescribed herein. Many related and unrelated embodiments are describedthroughout this disclosure. The fact that some “disclosed embodiments”are described as exhibiting a feature or characteristic does not meanthat other disclosed embodiments necessarily share that feature orcharacteristic.

This disclosure employs open-ended permissive language, indicating forexample, that some embodiments “may” employ, involve, or includespecific features. The use of the term “may” and other open-endedterminology is intended to indicate that although not every embodimentmay employ the specific disclosed feature, at least one embodimentemploys the specific disclosed feature.

Various terms used in the specification and claims may be defined orsummarized differently when discussed in connection with differingdisclosed embodiments. It is to be understood that the definitions,summaries and explanations of terminology in each instance apply to allinstances, even when not repeated, unless the transitive definition,explanation or summary would result in inoperability of an embodiment.

The present disclosure is directed to systems and methods for providingusers an extended reality environment. The term “extended realityenvironment,” which may also be referred to as “extended reality,”“extended reality space,” or “extended environment,” refers to all typesof real- and-virtual combined environments and human-machineinteractions at least partially generated by computer technology. Theextended reality environment may be a completely simulated virtualenvironment or a combined real- and-virtual environment that a user mayperceive from different perspectives. In some examples, the user mayinteract with elements of the extended reality environment. Onenon-limiting example of an extended reality environment may be a virtualreality environment, also known as “virtual reality” or a “virtualenvironment.” An immersive virtual reality environment may be asimulated non-physical environment which provides to the user theperception of being present in the virtual environment. Anothernon-limiting example of an extended reality environment may be anaugmented reality environment, also known as “augmented reality” or“augmented environment.” An augmented reality environment may involvelive direct or indirect view of a physical real-world environment thatis enhanced with virtual computer-generated perceptual information, suchas virtual objects that the user may interact with. Another non-limitingexample of an extended reality environment is a mixed realityenvironment, also known as “mixed reality” or a “mixed environment.” Amixed reality environment may be a hybrid of physical real-world andvirtual environments, in which physical and virtual objects may coexistand interact in real time. In some examples, both augmented realityenvironments and mixed reality environments may include a combination ofreal and virtual worlds, real-time interactions, and accurate 3Dregistration of virtual and real objects. In some examples, bothaugmented reality environment and mixed reality environments may includeconstructive overlaid sensory information that may be added to thephysical environment. In other examples, both augmented realityenvironment and mixed reality environments may include destructivevirtual content that may mask at least part of the physical environment.

In some embodiments, the systems and methods may provide the extendedreality environment using an extended reality appliance. The termextended reality appliance may include any type of device or system thatenables a user to perceive and/or interact with an extended realityenvironment. The extended reality appliance may enable the user toperceive and/or interact with an extended reality environment throughone or more sensory modalities. Some non-limiting examples of suchsensory modalities may include visual, auditory, haptic, somatosensory,and olfactory. One example of the extended reality appliance is avirtual reality appliance that enables the user to perceive and/orinteract with a virtual reality environment. Another example of theextended reality appliance is an augmented reality appliance thatenables the user to perceive and/or interact with an augmented realityenvironment. Yet another example of the extended reality appliance is amixed reality appliance that enables the user to perceive and/orinteract with a mixed reality environment.

Consistent with one aspect of the disclosure, the extended realityappliance may be a wearable device, such as a head-mounted device, forexample, smart glasses, smart contact lens, headsets or any other deviceworn by a human for purposes of presenting an extended reality to thehuman. Other extended reality appliances may include holographicprojector or any other device or system capable of providing anaugmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), mixed reality (MR), or anyimmersive experience. Typical components of wearable extended realityappliances may include at least one of: a stereoscopic head-mounteddisplay, a stereoscopic head-mounted sound system, head-motion trackingsensors (such as gyroscopes, accelerometers, magnetometers, imagesensors, structured light sensors, etc.), head mounted projectors,eye-tracking sensors, and additional components described below.Consistent with another aspect of the disclosure, the extended realityappliance may be a non-wearable extended reality appliance.Specifically, the non-wearable extended reality appliance may includemulti-projected environment appliances. In some embodiments, an extendedreality appliance may be configured to change the viewing perspective ofthe extended reality environment in response to movements of the userand in response to head movements of the user in particular. In oneexample, a wearable extended reality appliance may change thefield-of-view of the extended reality environment in response to achange of the head pose of the user, such as by changing the spatialorientation without changing the spatial position of the user in theextended reality environment. In another example, a non-wearableextended reality appliance may change the spatial position of the userin the extended reality environment in response to a change in theposition of the user in the real world, for example, by changing thespatial position of the user in the extended reality environment withoutchanging the direction of the field-of-view with respect to the spatialposition.

According to some embodiments, an extended reality appliance may includea digital communication device configured to at least one of: receivingvirtual content data configured to enable a presentation of the virtualcontent, transmitting virtual content for sharing with at least oneexternal device, receiving contextual data from at least one externaldevice, transmitting contextual data to at least one external device,transmitting of usage data indicative of usage of the extended realityappliance, and transmitting of data based on information captured usingat least one sensor included in the extended reality appliance. Inadditional embodiments, the extended reality appliance may includememory for storing at least one of virtual data configured to enable apresentation of virtual content, contextual data, usage data indicativeof usage of the extended reality appliance, sensor data based oninformation captured using at least one sensor included in the extendedreality appliance, software instructions configured to cause aprocessing device to present the virtual content, software instructionsconfigured to cause a processing device to collect and analyze thecontextual data, software instructions configured to cause a processingdevice to collect and analyze the usage data, and software instructionsconfigured to cause a processing device to collect and analyze thesensor data. In additional embodiments, the extended reality appliancemay include a processing device configured to perform at least one ofrendering of virtual content, collecting and analyzing contextual data,collecting and analyzing usage data, and collecting and analyzing sensordata. In additional embodiments, the extended reality appliance mayinclude one or more sensors. The one or more sensors may include one ormore image sensors (e.g., configured to capture images and/or videos ofa user of the appliance or of an environment of the user), one or moremotion sensors (such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a magnetometer,etc.), one or more positioning sensors (such as GPS, outdoor positioningsensor, indoor positioning sensor, etc.), one or more temperaturesensors (e.g., configured to measure the temperature of at least part ofthe appliance and/or of the environment), one or more contact sensors,one or more proximity sensors (e.g., configured to detect whether theappliance is currently worn), one or more electrical impedance sensors(e.g., configured to measure electrical impedance of the user), one ormore eye tracking sensors, such as gaze detectors, optical trackers,electric potential trackers (e.g., electrooculogram (EOG) sensors),video-based eye-trackers, infra-red/near infra-red sensors, passivelight sensors, or any other technology capable of determining where ahuman is looking or gazing.

In some embodiments, the systems and methods may use an input device tointeract with the extended reality appliance. The term input device mayinclude any physical device configured to receive input from a user oran environment of the user, and to provide the data to a computationaldevice. The data provided to the computational device may be in adigital format and/or in an analog format. In one embodiment, the inputdevice may store the input received from the user in a memory deviceaccessible by a processing device, and the processing device may accessthe stored data for analysis. In another embodiment, the input devicemay provide the data directly to a processing device, for example, overa bus or over another communication system configured to transfer datafrom the input device to the processing device. In some examples, theinput received by the input device may include key presses, tactileinput data, motion data, position data, gestures based input data,direction data, or any other data for supply for computation. Someexamples of the input device may include a button, a key, a keyboard, acomputer mouse, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a joystick, or anothermechanism from which input may be received. Another example of an inputdevice may include an integrated computational interface device thatincludes at least one physical component for receiving input from auser. The integrated computational interface device may include at leasta memory, a processing device, and the at least one physical componentfor receiving input from a user. In one example, the integratedcomputational interface device may further include a digital networkinterface that enables digital communication with other computingdevices. In one example, the integrated computational interface devicemay further include a physical component for outputting information tothe user. In some examples, all components of the integratedcomputational interface device may be included in a single housing,while in other examples the components may be distributed among two ormore housings. Some non-limiting examples of physical components forreceiving input from users that may be included in the integratedcomputational interface device may include at least one of a button, akey, a keyboard, a touchpad, a touchscreen, a joystick, or any othermechanism or sensor from which computational information may bereceived. Some non-limiting examples of physical components foroutputting information to users may include at least one of a lightindicator (such as a LED indicator), a screen, a touchscreen, a beeper,an audio speaker, or any other audio, video, or haptic device thatprovides human-perceptible outputs.

In some embodiments, image data may be captured using one or more imagesensors. In some examples, the image sensors may be included in theextended reality appliance, in a wearable device, in the wearableextended reality device, in the input device, in an environment of auser, and so forth. In some examples, the image data may be read frommemory, may be received from an external device, may be generated (forexample, using a generative model), and so forth. Some non-limitingexamples of image data may include images, grayscale images, colorimages, 2D images, 3D images, videos, 2D videos, 3D videos, frames,footages, data derived from other image data, and so forth. In someexamples, the image data may be encoded in any analog or digital format.Some non-limiting examples of such formats may include raw formats,compressed formats, uncompressed formats, lossy formats, losslessformats, JPEG, GIF, PNG, TIFF, BMP, NTSC, PAL, SECAM, MPEG, MPEG-4 Part14, MOV, WMV, FLV, AVI, AVCHD, WebM, MKV, and so forth.

In some embodiments, the extended reality appliance may receive digitalsignals, for example, from the input device. The term digital signalsrefers to a series of digital values that are discrete in time. Thedigital signals may represent, for example, sensor data, textual data,voice data, video data, virtual data, or any other form of data thatprovides perceptible information. Consistent with the presentdisclosure, the digital signals may be configured to cause the extendedreality appliance to present virtual content. In one embodiment, thevirtual content may be presented in a selected orientation. In thisembodiment, the digital signals may indicate a position and an angle ofa viewpoint in an environment, such as an extended reality environment.Specifically, the digital signals may include an encoding of theposition and angle in six degree-of-freedom coordinates (e.g.,forward/back, up/down, left/right, yaw, pitch, and roll). In anotherembodiment, the digital signals may include an encoding of the positionas three-dimensional coordinates (e.g., x, y, and z), and an encoding ofthe angle as a vector originating from the encoded position.Specifically, the digital signals may indicate the orientation and anangle of the presented virtual content in an absolute coordinates of theenvironment, for example, by encoding yaw, pitch and roll of the virtualcontent with respect to a standard default angle. In another embodiment,the digital signals may indicate the orientation and the angle of thepresented virtual content with respect to a viewpoint of another object(e.g., a virtual object, a physical object, etc.), for example, byencoding yaw, pitch, and roll of the virtual content with respect adirection corresponding to the viewpoint or to a direction correspondingto the other object. In another embodiment, such digital signals mayinclude one or more projections of the virtual content, for example, ina format ready for presentation (e.g., image, video, etc.). For example,each such projection may correspond to a particular orientation or aparticular angle. In another embodiment, the digital signals may includea representation of virtual content, for example, by encoding objects ina three-dimensional array of voxels, in a polygon mesh, or in any otherformat in which virtual content may be presented.

In some embodiments, the digital signals may be configured to cause theextended reality appliance to present virtual content. The term virtualcontent may include any type of data representation that may bedisplayed by the extended reality appliance to the user. The virtualcontent may include a virtual object, inanimate virtual content, animatevirtual content configured to change over time or in response totriggers, virtual two-dimensional content, virtual three dimensionalcontent, a virtual overlay over a portion of a physical environment orover a physical object, a virtual addition to a physical environment orto a physical object, a virtual promotion content, a virtualrepresentation of a physical object, a virtual representation of aphysical environment, a virtual document, a virtual character orpersona, a virtual computer screen, a virtual widget, or any otherformat for displaying information virtually. Consistent with the presentdisclosure, the virtual content may include any visual presentationrendered by a computer or a processing device. In one embodiment, thevirtual content may include a virtual object that is a visualpresentation rendered by a computer in a confined region and configuredto represent an object of a particular type (such as an inanimatevirtual object, an animate virtual object, virtual furniture, a virtualdecorative object, virtual widget, or other virtual representation.).The rendered visual presentation may change to reflect changes to astatus object or changes in the viewing angle of the object, forexample, in a way that mimics changes in the appearance of physicalobjects. In another embodiment, the virtual content may include avirtual display (also referred to as a “virtual display screen” or a“virtual screen” herein), such as a virtual computer screen, a virtualtablet screen or a virtual smartphone screen, configured to displayinformation generated by an operating system, in which the operatingsystem may be configured to receive textual data from a physicalkeyboard and/or a virtual keyboard and to cause a display of the textualcontent in the virtual display screen. In one example, illustrated inFIG. 1 , the virtual content may include a virtual environment thatincludes a virtual computer screen and a plurality of virtual objects.In some examples, a virtual display may be a virtual object mimickingand/or extending the functionality of a physical display screen. Forexample, the virtual display may be presented in an extended realityenvironment (such as a mixed reality environment, an augmented realityenvironment, a virtual reality environment, etc.), using an extendedreality appliance. In one example, a virtual display may present contentproduced by a regular operating system that may be equally presented ona physical display screen. In one example, a textual content enteredusing a keyboard (for example, using a physical keyboard, using avirtual keyboard, etc.) may be presented on a virtual display in realtime as the textual content is typed. In one example, a virtual cursormay be presented on a virtual display, and the virtual cursor may becontrolled by a pointing device (such as a physical pointing device, avirtual pointing device, a computer mouse, a joystick, a touchpad, aphysical touch controller, and so forth). In one example, one or morewindows of a graphical user interface operating system may be presentedon a virtual display. In another example, content presented on a virtualdisplay may be interactive, that is, it may change in reaction toactions of users. In yet another example, a presentation of a virtualdisplay may include a presentation of a screen frame, or may include nopresentation of a screen frame.

Some disclosed embodiments may include and/or access a data structure ora database. The terms data structure and a database, consistent with thepresent disclosure may include any collection of data values andrelationships among them. The data may be stored linearly, horizontally,hierarchically, relationally, non-relationally, uni-dimensionally,multidimensionally, operationally, in an ordered manner, in an unorderedmanner, in an object-oriented manner, in a centralized manner, in adecentralized manner, in a distributed manner, in a custom manner, or inany manner enabling data access. By way of non-limiting examples, datastructures may include an array, an associative array, a linked list, abinary tree, a balanced tree, a heap, a stack, a queue, a set, a hashtable, a record, a tagged union, ER model, and a graph. For example, adata structure may include an XML database, an RDBMS database, an SQLdatabase or NoSQL alternatives for data storage/search such as, forexample, MongoDB, Redis, Couchbase, Datastax Enterprise Graph, ElasticSearch, Splunk, Solr, Cassandra, Amazon DynamoDB, Scylla, HBase, andNeo4J. A data structure may be a component of the disclosed system or aremote computing component (e.g., a cloud-based data structure). Data inthe data structure may be stored in contiguous or non-contiguous memory.Moreover, a data structure, as used herein, does not require informationto be co-located. It may be distributed across multiple servers, forexample, that may be owned or operated by the same or differententities. Thus, the term “data structure” as used herein in the singularis inclusive of plural data structures.

In some embodiments, the system may determine the confidence level inreceived input or in any determined value. The term confidence levelrefers to any indication, numeric or otherwise, of a level (e.g., withina predetermined range) indicative of an amount of confidence the systemhas at determined data. For example, the confidence level may have avalue between 1 and 10. Alternatively, the confidence level may beexpressed as a percentage or any other numerical or non-numericalindication. In some cases, the system may compare the confidence levelto a threshold. The term threshold may denote a reference value, alevel, a point, or a range of values. In operation, when the confidencelevel of determined data exceeds the threshold (or is below it,depending on a particular use case), the system may follow a firstcourse of action and, when the confidence level is below it (or aboveit, depending on a particular use case), the system may follow a secondcourse of action. The value of the threshold may be predetermined foreach type of examined object or may be dynamically selected based ondifferent considerations.

System Overview

Reference is now made to FIG. 1 , which illustrates a user that uses anexample extended reality system consistent with embodiments of thepresent disclosure FIG. 1 is an exemplary representation of just oneembodiment, and it is to be understood that some illustrated elementsmight be omitted and others added within the scope of this disclosure.As shown, a user 100 is sitting behind table 102, supporting a keyboard104 and mouse 106. Keyboard 104 is connected by wire 108 to a wearableextended reality appliance 110 that displays virtual content to user100. Alternatively or additionally to wire 108, keyboard 104 may connectto wearable extended reality appliance 110 wirelessly. For illustrationpurposes, the wearable extended reality appliance is depicted a pair ofsmart glasses, but, as described above, wearable extended realityappliance 110 may be any type of head-mounted device used for presentingan extended reality to user 100. The virtual content displayed bywearable extended reality appliance 110 includes a virtual screen 112(also referred to as a “virtual display screen” or a “virtual display”herein) and a plurality of virtual widgets 114. Virtual widgets114A-114D are displayed next to virtual screen 112 and virtual widget114E is displayed on table 102. User 100 may input text to a document116 displayed in virtual screen 112 using keyboard 104; and may controlvirtual cursor 118 using mouse 106. In one example, virtual cursor 118may move anywhere within virtual screen 112. In another example, virtualcursor 118 may move anywhere within virtual screen 112 and may also moveto any one of virtual widgets 114A-114D but not to virtual widget 114E.In yet another example, virtual cursor 118 may move anywhere withinvirtual screen 112 and may also move to any one of virtual widgets114A-114E. In an additional example, virtual cursor 118 may moveanywhere in the extended reality environment including virtual screen112 and virtual widgets 114A-114E. In yet another example, virtualcursor may move on all available surfaces (i.e., virtual surfaces orphysical surfaces) or only on selected surfaces in the extended realityenvironment. Alternatively or additionally, user 100 may interact withany one of virtual widgets 114A-114E, or with selected virtual widgets,using hand gestures recognized by wearable extended reality appliance110. For example, virtual widget 114E may be an interactive widget(e.g., a virtual slider controller) that may be operated with handgestures.

FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a system 200 that provides extendedreality (XR) experience to users, such as user 100. FIG. 2 is anexemplary representation of just one embodiment, and it is to beunderstood that some illustrated elements might be omitted and othersadded within the scope of this disclosure. System 200 may becomputer-based and may include computer system components, wearableappliances, workstations, tablets, handheld computing devices, memorydevices, and/or internal network(s) connecting the components. System200 may include or be connected to various network computing resources(e.g., servers, routers, switches, network connections, storage devices,etc.) for supporting services provided by system 200. Consistent withthe present disclosure, system 200 may include an input unit 202, an XRunit 204, a mobile communications device 206, and a remote processingunit 208. Remote processing unit 208 may include a server 210 coupled toone or more physical or virtual storage devices, such as a datastructure 212. System 200 may also include or be connected to acommunications network 214 that facilitates communications and dataexchange between different system components and the different entitiesassociated with system 200.

Consistent with the present disclosure, input unit 202 may include oneor more devices that may receive input from user 100. In one embodiment,input unit 202 may include a textual input device, such as keyboard 104.The textual input device may include all possible types of devices andmechanisms for inputting textual information to system 200. Examples oftextual input devices may include mechanical keyboards, membranekeyboards, flexible keyboards, QWERTY keyboards, Dvorak keyboards,Colemak keyboards, chorded keyboards, wireless keyboards, keypads,key-based control panels, or other arrays of control keys, vision inputdevices, or any other mechanism for inputting text, whether themechanism is provided in physical form or is presented virtually. In oneembodiment, input unit 202 may also include a pointing input device,such as mouse 106. The pointing input device may include all possibletypes of devices and mechanisms for inputting two-dimensional orthree-dimensional information to system 200. In one example,two-dimensional input from the pointing input device may be used forinteracting with virtual content presented via the XR unit 204. Examplesof pointing input devices may include a computer mouse, trackball,touchpad, trackpad, touchscreen, joystick, pointing stick, stylus, lightpen, or any other physical or virtual input mechanism. In oneembodiment, input unit 202 may also include a graphical input device,such as a touchscreen configured to detect contact, movement, or breakof movement. The graphical input device may use any of a plurality oftouch sensitivity technologies, including, but not limited to,capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technologiesas well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements fordetermining one or more points of contact. In one embodiment, input unit202 may also include one or more voice input devices, such as amicrophone. The voice input device may include all possible types ofdevices and mechanisms for inputting voice data to facilitatevoice-enabled functions, such as voice recognition, voice replication,digital recording, and telephony functions. In one embodiment, inputunit 202 may also include one or more image input devices, such as animage sensor, configured to capture image data. In one embodiment, inputunit 202 may also include one or more haptic gloves configured tocapture hands motion and pose data. In one embodiment, input unit 202may also include one or more proximity sensors configured to detectpresence and/or movement of objects in a selected region near thesensors.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system may include at least onesensor configured to detect and/or measure a property associated withthe user, the user's action, or user's environment. One example of theat least one sensor, is sensor 216 included in input unit 202. Sensor216 may be a motion sensor, a touch sensor, a light sensor, an infraredsensor, an audio sensor, an image sensor, a proximity sensor, apositioning sensor, a gyroscope, a temperature sensor, a biometricsensor, or any other sensing devices to facilitate relatedfunctionalities. Sensor 216 may be integrated with, or connected to, theinput devices or it may be separated from the input devices. In oneexample, a thermometer may be included in mouse 106 to determine thebody temperature of user 100. In another example, a positioning sensormay be integrated with keyboard 104 to determine movement of user 100relative to keyboard 104. Such positioning sensor may be implementedusing one of the following technologies: Global Positioning System(GPS), GLObal NAvigation Satellite System (GLONASS), Galileo globalnavigation system, BeiDou navigation system, other Global NavigationSatellite Systems (GNSS), Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System(IRNSS), Local Positioning Systems (LPS), Real-Time Location Systems(RTLS), Indoor Positioning System (IPS), Wi-Fi based positioningsystems, cellular triangulation, image based positioning technology,indoor positioning technology, outdoor positioning technology, or anyother positioning technology.

In accordance with some embodiments, the system may include one or moresensors for identifying a position and/or a movement of a physicaldevice (such as a physical input device, a physical computing device,keyboard 104, mouse 106, wearable extended reality appliance 110, and soforth). The one or more sensors may be included in the physical deviceor may be external to the physical device. In some examples, an imagesensor external to the physical device (for example, an image sensorincluded in another physical device) may be used to capture image dataof the physical device, and the image data may be analyzed to identifythe position and/or the movement of the physical device. For example,the image data may be analyzed using a visual object tracking algorithmto identify the movement of the physical device, may be analyzed using avisual object detection algorithm to identify the position of thephysical device (for example, relative to the image sensor, in a globalcoordinates system, etc.), and so forth. In some examples, an imagesensor included in the physical device may be used to capture imagedata, and the image data may be analyzed to identify the position and/orthe movement of the physical device. For example, the image data may beanalyzed using visual odometry algorithms to identify the position ofthe physical device, may be analyzed using an egomotion algorithm toidentify movement of the physical device, and so forth. In someexamples, a positioning sensor, such as an indoor positioning sensor oran outdoor positioning sensor, may be included in the physical deviceand may be used to determine the position of the physical device. Insome examples, a motion sensor, such as an accelerometer or a gyroscope,may be included in the physical device and may be used to determine themotion of the physical device. In some examples, a physical device, suchas a keyboard or a mouse, may be configured to be positioned on aphysical surface. Such physical device may include an optical mousesensor (also known as non-mechanical tracking engine) aimed towards thephysical surface, and the output of the optical mouse sensor may beanalyzed to determine movement of the physical device with respect tothe physical surface.

Consistent with the present disclosure, XR unit 204 may include awearable extended reality appliance configured to present virtualcontent to user 100. One example of the wearable extended realityappliance is wearable extended reality appliance 110. Additionalexamples of wearable extended reality appliance may include a VirtualReality (VR) device, an Augmented Reality (AR) device, a Mixed Reality(MR) device, or any other device capable of generating extended realitycontent. Some non-limiting examples of such devices may include NrealLight, Magic Leap One, Varjo, Quest ½, Vive, and others. In someembodiments, XR unit 204 may present virtual content to user 100.Generally, an extended reality appliance may include all real-and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactionsgenerated by computer technology and wearables. As mentioned above, theterm “extended reality” (XR) refers to a superset which includes theentire spectrum from “the complete real” to “the complete virtual.” Itincludes representative forms such as augmented reality (AR), mixedreality (MR), virtual reality (VR), and the areas interpolated amongthem. Accordingly, it is noted that the terms “XR appliance,” “ARappliance,” “VR appliance,” and “MR appliance” may be usedinterchangeably herein and may refer to any device of the variety ofappliances listed above.

Consistent with the present disclosure, the system may exchange datawith a variety of communication devices associated with users, forexample, mobile communications device 206. The term “communicationdevice” is intended to include all possible types of devices capable ofexchanging data using digital communications network, analogcommunication network or any other communications network configured toconvey data. In some examples, the communication device may include asmartphone, a tablet, a smartwatch, a personal digital assistant, adesktop computer, a laptop computer, an IoT device, a dedicatedterminal, a wearable communication device, and any other device thatenables data communications. In some cases, mobile communications device206 may supplement or replace input unit 202. Specifically, mobilecommunications device 206 may be associated with a physical touchcontroller that may function as a pointing input device. Moreover,mobile communications device 206 may also, for example, be used toimplement a virtual keyboard and replace the textual input device. Forexample, when user 100 steps away from table 102 and walks to the breakroom with his smart glasses, he may receive an email that requires aquick answer. In this case, the user may select to use his or her ownsmartwatch as the input device and to type the answer to the email whileit is virtually presented by the smart glasses.

Consistent with the present disclosure, embodiments of the system mayinvolve the usage of a cloud server. The term “cloud server” refers to acomputer platform that provides services via a network, such as theInternet. In the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 2 , server 210may use virtual machines that may not correspond to individual hardware.For example, computational and/or storage capabilities may beimplemented by allocating appropriate portions of desirablecomputation/storage power from a scalable repository, such as a datacenter or a distributed computing environment. Specifically, in oneembodiment, remote processing unit 208 may be used together with XR unit204 to provide the virtual content to user 100. In one exampleconfiguration, server 210 may be a cloud server that functions as theoperation system (OS) of the wearable extended reality appliance. In oneexample, server 210 may implement the methods described herein usingcustomized hard-wired logic, one or more Application Specific IntegratedCircuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), firmware,and/or program logic which, in combination with the computer system,cause server 210 to be a special-purpose machine.

In some embodiments, server 210 may access data structure 212 todetermine, for example, virtual content to display user 100. Datastructure 212 may utilize a volatile or non-volatile, magnetic,semiconductor, tape, optical, removable, non-removable, other type ofstorage device or tangible or non-transitory computer-readable medium,or any medium or mechanism for storing information. Data structure 212may be part of server 210 or separate from server 210, as shown. Whendata structure 212 is not part of server 210, server 210 may exchangedata with data structure 212 via a communication link. Data structure212 may include one or more memory devices that store data andinstructions used to perform one or more features of the disclosedmethods. In one embodiment, data structure 212 may include any of aplurality of suitable data structures, ranging from small datastructures hosted on a workstation to large data structures distributedamong data centers. Data structure 212 may also include any combinationof one or more data structures controlled by memory controller devices(e.g., servers) or software.

Consistent with the present disclosure, communications network or simplynetwork may include any type of physical or wireless computer networkingarrangement used to exchange data. For example, a network may be theInternet, a private data network, a virtual private network using apublic network, a Wi-Fi network, a LAN or WAN network, a combination ofone or more of the forgoing, and/or other suitable connections that mayenable information exchange among various components of the system. Insome embodiments, a network may include one or more physical links usedto exchange data, such as Ethernet, coaxial cables, twisted pair cables,fiber optics, or any other suitable physical medium for exchanging data.A network may also include a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”)and/or a wireless cellular network. A network may be a secured networkor unsecured network. In other embodiments, one or more components ofthe system may communicate directly through a dedicated communicationnetwork. Direct communications may use any suitable technologies,including, for example, BLUETOOTH™, BLUETOOTH LE™ (BLE), Wi-Fi, nearfield communications (NFC), or other suitable communication methods thatprovide a medium for exchanging data and/or information between separateentities.

The components and arrangements of system 200 shown in FIG. 2 areintended to be exemplary only and are not intended to limit thedisclosed embodiments, as the system components used to implement thedisclosed processes and features may vary.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an examplary configuration of input unit202. FIG. 3 is an exemplary representation of just one embodiment, andit is to be understood that some illustrated elements might be omittedand others added within the scope of this disclosure. In the embodimentof FIG. 3 , input unit 202 may directly or indirectly access a bus 300(or other communication mechanism) that interconnects subsystems andcomponents for transferring information within input unit 202. Forexample, bus 300 may interconnect a memory interface 310, a networkinterface 320, an input interface 330, a power source 340, an outputinterface 350, a processing device 360, a sensors interface 370, and adatabase 380.

Memory interface 310, shown in FIG. 3 , may be used to access a softwareproduct and/or data stored on a non-transitory computer-readable medium.As used herein, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium refersto any type of physical memory on which information or data readable byat least one processor can be stored. Examples include Random AccessMemory (RAM), Read-Only Memory (ROM), volatile memory, nonvolatilememory, hard drives, CD ROMs, DVDs, flash drives, disks, any otheroptical data storage medium, any physical medium with patterns of holes,markers, or other readable elements, a PROM, an EPROM, a FLASH-EPROM orany other flash memory, NVRAM, a cache, a register, any other memorychip or cartridge, and networked versions of the same. The terms“memory” and “computer-readable storage medium” may refer to multiplestructures, such as a plurality of memories or computer-readable storagemediums located within an input unit or at a remote location.Additionally, one or more computer-readable storage mediums can beutilized in implementing a computer-implemented method. Accordingly, theterm computer-readable storage medium should be understood to includetangible items and exclude carrier waves and transient signals.

In the specific embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 , memory interface 310may be used to access a software product and/or data stored on a memorydevice, such as memory device 311. Memory device 311 may includehigh-speed random-access memory and/or non-volatile memory, such as oneor more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical storagedevices, and/or flash memory (e.g., NAND, NOR). Consistent with thepresent disclosure, the components of memory device 311 may bedistributed in more than units of system 200 and/or in more than onememory device.

Memory device 311, shown in FIG. 3 , may contain software modules toexecute processes consistent with the present disclosure. In particular,memory device 311 may include an input determination module 312, anoutput determination module 313, a sensors communication module 314, avirtual content determination module 315, a virtual contentcommunication module 316, and a database access module 317. Modules312-317 may contain software instructions for execution by at least oneprocessor (e.g., processing device 360) associated with input unit 202.Input determination module 312, output determination module 313, sensorscommunication module 314, virtual content determination module 315,virtual content communication module 316, and database access module 317may cooperate to perform various operations. For example, inputdetermination module 312 may determine text using data received from,for example, keyboard 104. Thereafter, output determination module 313may cause presentation of the recent inputted text, for example on adedicated display 352 physically or wirelessly coupled to keyboard 104.This way, when user 100 types, he can see a preview of the typed textwithout constantly moving his head up and down to look at virtual screen112. Sensors communication module 314 may receive data from differentsensors to determine a status of user 100. Thereafter, virtual contentdetermination module 315 may determine the virtual content to display,based on received input and the determined status of user 100. Forexample, the determined virtual content may be a virtual presentation ofthe recent inputted text on a virtual screen virtually located adjacentto keyboard 104. Virtual content communication module 316 may obtainvirtual content that is not determined by virtual content determinationmodule 315 (e.g., an avatar of another user). The retrieval of thevirtual content may be from database 380, from remote processing unit208, or any other source.

In some embodiments, input determination module 312 may regulate theoperation of input interface 330 in order to receive pointer input 331,textual input 332, audio input 333, and XR-related input 334. Details onthe pointer input, the textual input, and the audio input are describedabove. The term “XR-related input” may include any type of data that maycause a change in the virtual content displayed to user 100. In oneembodiment, XR-related input 334 may include image data of user 100, awearable extended reality appliance (e.g., detected hand gestures ofuser 100). In another embodiment, XR-related input 334 may includewireless communication indicating a presence of another user inproximity to user 100. Consistent with the present disclosure, inputdetermination module 312 may concurrently receive different types ofinput data. Thereafter, input determination module 312 may further applydifferent rules based on the detected type of input. For example, apointer input may have precedence over voice input.

In some embodiments, output determination module 313 may regulate theoperation of output interface 350 in order to generate output usinglight indicators 351, display 352, and/or speakers 353. In general, theoutput generated by output determination module 313 does not includevirtual content to be presented by a wearable extended realityappliance. Instead, the output generated by output determination module313 include various outputs that relates to the operation of input unit202 and/or the operation of XR unit 204. In one embodiment, lightindicators 351 may include a light indicator that shows the status of awearable extended reality appliance. For example, the light indicatormay display green light when wearable extended reality appliance 110 areconnected to keyboard 104, and blinks when wearable extended realityappliance 110 has low battery. In another embodiment, display 352 may beused to display operational information. For example, the display maypresent error messages when the wearable extended reality appliance isinoperable. In another embodiment, speakers 353 may be used to outputaudio, for example, when user 100 wishes to play some music for otherusers.

In some embodiments, sensors communication module 314 may regulate theoperation of sensors interface 370 in order to receive sensor data fromone or more sensors, integrated with, or connected to, an input device.The one or more sensors may include: audio sensor 371, image sensor 372,motion sensor 373, environmental sensor 374 (e.g., a temperature sensor,ambient light detectors, etc.), and other sensors 375. In oneembodiment, the data received from sensors communication module 314 maybe used to determine the physical orientation of the input device. Thephysical orientation of the input device may be indicative of a state ofthe user and may be determined based on combination of a tilt movement,a roll movement, and a lateral movement. Thereafter, the physicalorientation of the input device may be used by virtual contentdetermination module 315 to modify display parameters of the virtualcontent to match the state of the user (e.g., attention, sleepy, active,sitting, standing, leaning backwards, leaning forward, walking, moving,riding, etc.).

In some embodiments, virtual content determination module 315 maydetermine the virtual content to be displayed by the wearable extendedreality appliance. The virtual content may be determined based on datafrom input determination module 312, sensors communication module 314,and other sources (e.g., database 380). In some embodiments, determiningthe virtual content may include determining the distance, the size, andthe orientation of the virtual objects. The determination of theposition of the virtual objects may be determined based on the type ofthe virtual objects. Specifically, with regards to the exampleillustrated in FIG. 1 , the virtual content determination module 315 maydetermine to place four virtual widgets 114A-114D on the sides ofvirtual screen 112 and to place virtual widget 114E on table 102 becausevirtual widget 114E is a virtual controller (e.g., volume bar). Thedetermination of the position of the virtual objects may further bedetermined based on user's preferences. For example, for left-handedusers, virtual content determination module 315 may determine placing avirtual volume bar left of keyboard 104; and for right-handed users,virtual content determination module 315 may determine placing thevirtual volume bar right of keyboard 104.

In some embodiments, virtual content communication module 316 mayregulate the operation of network interface 320 in order to obtain datafrom one or more sources to be presented as virtual content to user 100.The one or more sources may include other XR units 204, the user'smobile communications device 206, remote processing unit 208, publiclyavailable information, etc. In one embodiment, virtual contentcommunication module 316 may communicate with mobile communicationsdevice 206 in order to provide a virtual representation of mobilecommunications device 206. For example, the virtual representation mayenable user 100 to read messages and interact with applicationsinstalled on the mobile communications device 206. Virtual contentcommunication module 316 may also regulate the operation of networkinterface 320 in order to share virtual content with other users. In oneexample, virtual content communication module 316 may use data frominput determination module to identify a trigger (e.g., the trigger mayinclude a gesture of the user) and to transfer content from the virtualdisplay to a physical display (e.g., TV) or to a virtual display of adifferent user.

In some embodiments, database access module 317 may cooperate withdatabase 380 to retrieve stored data. The retrieved data may include,for example, privacy levels associated with different virtual objects,the relationship between virtual objects and physical objects, theuser's preferences, the user's past behavior, and more. As describedabove, virtual content determination module 315 may use the data storedin database 380 to determine the virtual content. Database 380 mayinclude separate databases, including, for example, a vector database,raster database, tile database, viewport database, and/or a user inputdatabase. The data stored in database 380 may be received from modules314-317 or other components of system 200. Moreover, the data stored indatabase 380 may be provided as input using data entry, data transfer,or data uploading.

Modules 312-317 may be implemented in software, hardware, firmware, amix of any of those, or the like. In some embodiments, any one or moreof modules 312-317 and data associated with database 380 may be storedin XR unit 204, mobile communications device 206, or remote processingunit 208. Processing devices of system 200 may be configured to executethe instructions of modules 312-317. In some embodiments, aspects ofmodules 312-317 may be implemented in hardware, in software (includingin one or more signal processing and/or application specific integratedcircuits), in firmware, or in any combination thereof, executable by oneor more processors, alone, or in various combinations with each other.Specifically, modules 312-317 may be configured to interact with eachother and/or other modules of system 200 to perform functions consistentwith disclosed embodiments. For example, input unit 202 may executeinstructions that include an image processing algorithm on data from XRunit 204 to determine head movement of user 100. Furthermore, eachfunctionality described throughout the specification, with regards toinput unit 202 or with regards to a component of input unit 202, maycorrespond to a set of instructions for performing said functionality.These instructions need not be implemented as separate softwareprograms, procedures, or modules. Memory device 311 may includeadditional modules and instructions or fewer modules and instructions.For example, memory device 311 may store an operating system, such asANDROID, iOS, UNIX, OSX, WINDOWS, DARWIN, RTXC, LINUX or an embeddedoperating system such as VXWorkS. The operating system can includeinstructions for handling basic system services and for performinghardware-dependent tasks.

Network interface 320, shown in FIG. 3 , may provide two-way datacommunications to a network, such as communications network 214. In oneembodiment, network interface 320 may include an Integrated ServicesDigital Network (ISDN) card, cellular modem, satellite modem, or a modemto provide a data communication connection over the Internet. As anotherexample, network interface 320 may include a Wireless Local Area Network(WLAN) card. In another embodiment, network interface 320 may include anEthernet port connected to radio frequency receivers and transmittersand/or optical (e.g., infrared) receivers and transmitters. The specificdesign and implementation of network interface 320 may depend on thecommunications network or networks over which input unit 202 is intendedto operate. For example, in some embodiments, input unit 202 may includenetwork interface 320 designed to operate over a GSM network, a GPRSnetwork, an EDGE network, a Wi-Fi or WiMax network, and a Bluetoothnetwork. In any such implementation, network interface 320 may beconfigured to send and receive electrical, electromagnetic, or opticalsignals that carry digital data streams or digital signals representingvarious types of information.

Input interface 330, shown in FIG. 3 , may receive input from a varietyof input devices, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, a touch pad, a touchscreen, one or more buttons, a joystick, a microphone, an image sensor,and any other device configured to detect physical or virtual input. Thereceived input may be in the form of at least one of: text, sounds,speech, hand gestures, body gestures, tactile information, and any othertype of physically or virtually input generated by the user. In thedepicted embodiment, input interface 330 may receive pointer input 331,textual input 332, audio input 333, and XR-related input 334. Inadditional embodiment, input interface 330 may be an integrated circuitthat may act as bridge between processing device 360 and any of theinput devices listed above.

Power source 340, shown in FIG. 3 , may provide electrical energy topower input unit 202 and optionally also power XR unit 204. Generally, apower source included in the any device or system in the presentdisclosure may be any device that can repeatedly store, dispense, orconvey electric power, including, but not limited to, one or morebatteries (e.g., a lead-acid battery, a lithium-ion battery, anickel-metal hydride battery, a nickel-cadmium battery), one or morecapacitors, one or more connections to external power sources, one ormore power convertors, or any combination of them. With reference to theexample illustrated in FIG. 3 , the power source may be mobile, whichmeans that input unit 202 can be easily carried by a hand (e.g., thetotal weight of power source 340 may be less than a pound). The mobilityof the power source enables user 100 to use input unit 202 in a varietyof situations. In other embodiments, power source 340 may be associatedwith a connection to an external power source (such as an electricalpower grid) that may be used to charge power source 340. In addition,power source 340 may be configured to charge one or more batteriesincluded in XR unit 204; for example, a pair of extended reality glasses(e.g., wearable extended reality appliance 110) may be charged (e.g.,wirelessly or not wirelessly) when they are placed on or in proximity tothe input unit 202.

Output interface 350, shown in FIG. 3 , may cause output from a varietyof output devices, for example, using light indicators 351, display 352,and/or speakers 353. In one embodiment, output interface 350 may be anintegrated circuit that may act as bridge between processing device 360and at least one of the output devices listed above. Light indicators351 may include one or more light sources, for example, a LED arrayassociated with different colors. Display 352 may include a screen(e.g., LCD or dot-matrix screen) or a touch screen. Speakers 353 mayinclude audio headphones, a hearing aid type device, a speaker, a boneconduction headphone, interfaces that provide tactile cues, vibrotactilestimulators, and more.

Processing device 360, shown in FIG. 3 , may include at least oneprocessor configured to execute computer programs, applications,methods, processes, or other software to perform embodiments describedin the present disclosure. Generally, may constitute any physical deviceor group of devices having electric circuitry that performs a logicoperation on an input or inputs. For example, the at least one processormay include one or more integrated circuits (IC), includingapplication-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), microchips,microcontrollers, microprocessors, all or part of a central processingunit (CPU), graphics processing unit (GPU), digital signal processor(DSP), field-programmable gate array (FPGA), server, virtual server, orother circuits suitable for executing instructions or performing logicoperations. The instructions executed by at least one processor may, forexample, be pre-loaded into a memory integrated with or embedded intothe controller or may be stored in a separate memory. The memory mayinclude a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Read-Only Memory (ROM), a harddisk, an optical disk, a magnetic medium, a flash memory, otherpermanent, fixed, or volatile memory, or any other mechanism capable ofstoring instructions. In some embodiments, the at least one processormay include more than one processor. Each processor may have a similarconstruction or the processors may be of differing constructions thatare electrically connected or disconnected from each other. For example,the processors may be separate circuits or integrated in a singlecircuit. When more than one processor is used, the processors may beconfigured to operate independently or collaboratively, and may beco-located or located remotely from each other. The processors may becoupled electrically, magnetically, optically, acoustically,mechanically or by other means that permit them to interact. It isappreciated that other types of processor arrangements could beimplemented to provide the capabilities disclosed herein.

Sensors interface 370, shown in FIG. 3 , may obtain sensor data from avariety of sensors, for example, audio sensor 371, image sensor 372,motion sensor 373, environmental sensor 374, and other sensors 375. Inone embodiment, sensors interface 370 may be an integrated circuit thatmay act as bridge between processing device 360 and at least one of thesensors listed above.

Audio sensor 371 may include one or more audio sensors configured tocapture audio by converting sounds to digital information. Some examplesof audio sensors may include: microphones, unidirectional microphones,bidirectional microphones, cardioid microphones, omnidirectionalmicrophones, onboard microphones, wired microphones, wirelessmicrophones, or any combination of the above. Consistent with thepresent disclosure, processing device 360 may modify a presentation ofvirtual content based on data received from audio sensor 371 (e.g.,voice commands).

Image sensor 372 may include one or more image sensors configured tocapture visual information by converting light to image data. Consistentwith the present disclosure, an image sensor may be included in the anydevice or system in the present disclosure and may be any device capableof detecting and converting optical signals in the near-infrared,infrared, visible, and ultraviolet spectrums into electrical signals.Examples of image sensors may include digital cameras, phone cameras,semiconductor Charge-Coupled Devices (CCDs), active pixel sensors inComplementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor (CMOS), or N-typemetal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS, Live MOS). The electrical signals maybe used to generate image data. Consistent with the present disclosure,the image data may include pixel data streams, digital images, digitalvideo streams, data derived from captured images, and data that may beused to construct one or more 3D images, a sequence of 3D images, 3Dvideos, or a virtual 3D representation. The image data acquired by imagesensor 372 may be transmitted by wired or wireless transmission to anyprocessing device of system 200. For example, the image data may beprocessed in order to: detect objects, detect events, detect action,detect face, detect people, recognize a known person, or any otherinformation that may be used by system 200. Consistent with the presentdisclosure, processing device 360 may modify a presentation of virtualcontent based on image data received from image sensor 372.

Motion sensor 373 may include one or more motion sensors configured tomeasure motion of input unit 202 or motion of objects in the environmentof input unit 202. Specifically, the motion sensors may perform at leastone of the following: detect motion of objects in the environment ofinput unit 202, measure the velocity of objects in the environment ofinput unit 202, measure the acceleration of objects in the environmentof input unit 202, detect the motion of input unit 202, measure thevelocity of input unit 202, measure the acceleration of input unit 202,etc. In some embodiments, motion sensor 373 may include one or moreaccelerometers configured to detect changes in proper accelerationand/or to measure proper acceleration of input unit 202. In otherembodiments, motion sensor 373 may include one or more gyroscopesconfigured to detect changes in the orientation of input unit 202 and/orto measure information related to the orientation of input unit 202. Inother embodiments, motion sensor 373 may include one or more using imagesensors, LIDAR sensors, radar sensors, or proximity sensors. Forexample, by analyzing captured images the processing device maydetermine the motion of input unit 202, for example, using ego-motionalgorithms. In addition, the processing device may determine the motionof objects in the environment of input unit 202, for example, usingobject tracking algorithms. Consistent with the present disclosure,processing device 360 may modify a presentation of virtual content basedon the determined motion of input unit 202 or the determined motion ofobjects in the environment of input unit 202. For example, causing avirtual display to follow the movement of input unit 202.

Environmental sensor 374 may include one or more sensors from differenttypes configured to capture data reflective of the environment of inputunit 202. In some embodiments, environmental sensor 374 may include oneor more chemical sensors configured to perform at least one of thefollowing: measure chemical properties in the environment of input unit202, measure changes in the chemical properties in the environment ofinput unit 202, detect the present of chemicals in the environment ofinput unit 202, measure the concentration of chemicals in theenvironment of input unit 202. Examples of such chemical properties mayinclude: pH level, toxicity, and temperature. Examples of such chemicalsmay include: electrolytes, particular enzymes, particular hormones,particular proteins, smoke, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, oxygen,ozone, hydrogen, and hydrogen sulfide. In other embodiments,environmental sensor 374 may include one or more temperature sensorsconfigured to detect changes in the temperature of the environment ofinput unit 202 and/or to measure the temperature of the environment ofinput unit 202. In other embodiments, environmental sensor 374 mayinclude one or more barometers configured to detect changes in theatmospheric pressure in the environment of input unit 202 and/or tomeasure the atmospheric pressure in the environment of input unit 202.In other embodiments, environmental sensor 374 may include one or morelight sensors configured to detect changes in the ambient light in theenvironment of input unit 202. Consistent with the present disclosure,processing device 360 may modify a presentation of virtual content basedon input from environmental sensor 374. For example, automaticallyreducing the brightness of the virtual content when the environment ofuser 100 becomes darker.

Other sensors 375 may include a weight sensor, a light sensor, aresistive sensor, an ultrasonic sensor, a proximity sensor, a biometricsensor, or other sensing devices to facilitate related functionalities.In a specific embodiment, other sensors 375 may include one or morepositioning sensors configured to obtain positioning information ofinput unit 202, to detect changes in the position of input unit 202,and/or to measure the position of input unit 202. Alternatively, GPSsoftware may permit input unit 202 to access an external GPS receiver(e.g., connecting via a serial port or Bluetooth). Consistent with thepresent disclosure, processing device 360 may modify a presentation ofvirtual content based on input from other sensors 375. For example,presenting private information only after identifying user 100 usingdata from a biometric sensor.

The components and arrangements shown in FIG. 3 are not intended tolimit the disclosed embodiments. As will be appreciated by a personskilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the depictedconfiguration of input unit 202. For example, not all components may beessential for the operation of an input unit in all cases. Any componentmay be located in any appropriate part of an input unit, and thecomponents may be rearranged into a variety of configurations whileproviding the functionality of the disclosed embodiments. For example,some input units may not include all of the elements as shown in inputunit 202.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of an examplary configuration of XR unit 204.FIG. 4 is an exemplary representation of just one embodiment, and it isto be understood that some illustrated elements might be omitted andothers added within the scope of this disclosure. In the embodiment ofFIG. 4 , XR unit 204 may directly or indirectly access a bus 400 (orother communication mechanism) that interconnects subsystems andcomponents for transferring information within XR unit 204. For example,bus 400 may interconnect a memory interface 410, a network interface420, an input interface 430, a power source 440, an output interface450, a processing device 460, a sensors interface 470, and a database480.

Memory interface 410, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of memory interface 310 describedabove in detail. Memory interface 410 may be used to access a softwareproduct and/or data stored on a non-transitory computer-readable mediumor on memory devices, such as memory device 411. Memory device 411 maycontain software modules to execute processes consistent with thepresent disclosure. In particular, memory device 411 may include aninput determination module 412, an output determination module 413, asensors communication module 414, a virtual content determination module415, a virtual content communication module 416, and a database accessmodule 417. Modules 412-417 may contain software instructions forexecution by at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460)associated with XR unit 204. Input determination module 412, outputdetermination module 413, sensors communication module 414, virtualcontent determination module 415, virtual content communication module416, and database access module 417 may cooperate to perform variousoperations. For example, input determination module 412 may determineUser Interface (UI) input received from input unit 202. At the sametime, sensors communication module 414 may receive data from differentsensors to determine a status of user 100. Virtual content determinationmodule 415 may determine the virtual content to display based onreceived input and the determined status of user 100. Virtual contentcommunication module 416 may retrieve virtual content not determined byvirtual content determination module 415. The retrieval of the virtualcontent may be from database 380, database 480, mobile communicationsdevice 206, or from remote processing unit 208. Based on the output ofvirtual content determination module 415, output determination module413 may cause a change in a virtual content displayed to user 100 byprojector 454.

In some embodiments, input determination module 412 may regulate theoperation of input interface 430 in order to receive gesture input 431,virtual input 432, audio input 433, and UI input 434. Consistent withthe present disclosure, input determination module 412 may concurrentlyreceive different types of input data. In one embodiment, inputdetermination module 412 may apply different rules based on the detectedtype of input. For example, gesture input may have precedence overvirtual input. In some embodiments, output determination module 413 mayregulate the operation of output interface 450 in order to generateoutput using light indicators 451, display 452, speakers 453, andprojector 454. In one embodiment, light indicators 451 may include alight indicator that shows the status of the wearable extended realityappliance. For example, the light indicator may display green light whenthe wearable extended reality appliance 110 are connected to input unit202, and blinks when wearable extended reality appliance 110 has lowbattery. In another embodiment, display 452 may be used to displayoperational information. In another embodiment, speakers 453 may includea bone conduction headphone used to output audio to user 100. In anotherembodiment, projector 454 may present virtual content to user 100.

The operations of a sensors communication module, a virtual contentdetermination module, a virtual content communication module, and adatabase access module are described above with reference to FIG. 3 ,details of which are not repeated herein. Modules 412-417 may beimplemented in software, hardware, firmware, a mix of any of those, orthe like.

Network interface 420, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of network interface 320, describedabove in detail. The specific design and implementation of networkinterface 420 may depend on the communications network(s) over which XRunit 204 is intended to operate. For example, in some embodiments, XRunit 204 is configured to be selectively connectable by wire to inputunit 202. When connected by wire, network interface 420 may enablecommunications with input unit 202; and when not connected by wire,network interface 420 may enable communications with mobilecommunications device 206.

Input interface 430, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of input interface 330 describedabove in detail. In this case, input interface 430 may communicate withan image sensor to obtain gesture input 431 (e.g., a finger of user 100pointing to a virtual object), communicate with other XR units 204 toobtain virtual input 432 (e.g., a virtual object shared with XR unit 204or a gesture of avatar detected in the virtual environment), communicatewith a microphone to obtain audio input 433 (e.g., voice commands), andcommunicate with input unit 202 to obtain UI input 434 (e.g., virtualcontent determined by virtual content determination module 315).

Power source 440, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of power source 340 described above,only it provides electrical energy to power XR unit 204. In someembodiments, power source 440 may be charged by power source 340. Forexample, power source 440 may be wirelessly changed when XR unit 204 isplaced on or in proximity to input unit 202.

Output interface 450, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of output interface 350 describedabove in detail. In this case, output interface 450 may cause outputfrom light indicators 451, display 452, speakers 453, and projector 454.Projector 454 may be any device, apparatus, instrument, or the likecapable of projecting (or directing) light in order to display virtualcontent onto a surface. The surface may be part of XR unit 204, part ofan eye of user 100, or part of an object in proximity to user 100. Inone embodiment, projector 454 may include a lighting unit thatconcentrates light within a limited solid angle by means of one or moremirrors and lenses, and provides a high value of luminous intensity in adefined direction.

Processing device 460, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of processing device 360 describedabove in detail. When XR unit 204 is connected to input unit 202,processing device 460 may work together with processing device 360.Specifically, processing device 460 may implement virtual machinetechnologies or other technologies to provide the ability to execute,control, run, manipulate, store, etc., multiple software processes,applications, programs, etc. It is appreciated that other types ofprocessor arrangements could be implemented to provide the capabilitiesdisclosed herein.

Sensors interface 470, shown in FIG. 4 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of sensors interface 370 describedabove in detail. Specifically sensors interface 470 may communicate withaudio sensor 471, image sensor 472, motion sensor 473, environmentalsensor 474, and other sensors 475. The operations of an audio sensor, animage sensor, a motion sensor, an environmental sensor, and othersensors are described above with reference to FIG. 3 , details of whichare not repeated herein. It is appreciated that other types andcombination of sensors may be used to provide the capabilities disclosedherein.

The components and arrangements shown in FIG. 4 are not intended tolimit the disclosed embodiments. As will be appreciated by a personskilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, numerousvariations and/or modifications may be made to the depictedconfiguration of XR unit 204. For example, not all components may beessential for the operation of XR unit 204 in all cases. Any componentmay be located in any appropriate part of system 200, and the componentsmay be rearranged into a variety of configurations while providing thefunctionality of the disclosed embodiments. For example, some XR unitsmay not include all of the elements in XR unit 204 (e.g., wearableextended reality appliance 110 may not have light indicators 451).

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of an examplary configuration of remoteprocessing unit 208. FIG. 5 is an exemplary representation of just oneembodiment, and it is to be understood that some illustrated elementsmight be omitted and others added within the scope of this disclosure.In the embodiment of FIG. 5 , remote processing unit 208 may include aserver 210 that directly or indirectly accesses a bus 500 (or othercommunication mechanism) interconnecting subsystems and components fortransferring information within server 210. For example, bus 500 mayinterconnect a memory interface 510, a network interface 520, a powersource 540, a processing device 560, and a database 580. Remoteprocessing unit 208 may also include a one or more data structures. Forexample, data structures 212A, 212B, and 212C.

Memory interface 510, shown in FIG. 5 , is assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of memory interface 310 describedabove in detail. Memory interface 510 may be used to access a softwareproduct and/or data stored on a non-transitory computer-readable mediumor on other memory devices, such as memory devices 311, 411, 511, ordata structures 212A, 212B, and 212C. Memory device 511 may containsoftware modules to execute processes consistent with the presentdisclosure. In particular, memory device 511 may include a shared memorymodule 512, a node registration module 513, a load balancing module 514,one or more computational nodes 515, an internal communication module516, an external communication module 517, and a database access module(not shown). Modules 512-517 may contain software instructions forexecution by at least one processor (e.g., processing device 560)associated with remote processing unit 208. Shared memory module 512,node registration module 513, load balancing module 514, computationalmodule 515, and external communication module 517 may cooperate toperform various operations.

Shared memory module 512 may allow information sharing between remoteprocessing unit 208 and other components of system 200. In someembodiments, shared memory module 512 may be configured to enableprocessing device 560 (and other processing devices in system 200) toaccess, retrieve, and store data. For example, using shared memorymodule 512, processing device 560 may perform at least one of: executingsoftware programs stored on memory device 511, database 580, or datastructures 212A-C; storing information in memory device 511, database580, or data structures 212A-C; or retrieving information from memorydevice 511, database 580, or data structures 212A-C.

Node registration module 513 may be configured to track the availabilityof one or more computational nodes 515. In some examples, noderegistration module 513 may be implemented as: a software program, suchas a software program executed by one or more computational nodes 515, ahardware solution, or a combined software and hardware solution. In someimplementations, node registration module 513 may communicate with oneor more computational nodes 515, for example, using internalcommunication module 516. In some examples, one or more computationalnodes 515 may notify node registration module 513 of their status, forexample, by sending messages: at startup, at shutdown, at constantintervals, at selected times, in response to queries received from noderegistration module 513, or at any other determined times. In someexamples, node registration module 513 may query about the status of oneor more computational nodes 515, for example, by sending messages: atstartup, at constant intervals, at selected times, or at any otherdetermined times.

Load balancing module 514 may be configured to divide the workload amongone or more computational nodes 515. In some examples, load balancingmodule 514 may be implemented as: a software program, such as a softwareprogram executed by one or more of the computational nodes 515, ahardware solution, or a combined software and hardware solution. In someimplementations, load balancing module 514 may interact with noderegistration module 513 in order to obtain information regarding theavailability of one or more computational nodes 515. In someimplementations, load balancing module 514 may communicate with one ormore computational nodes 515, for example, using internal communicationmodule 516. In some examples, one or more computational nodes 515 maynotify load balancing module 514 of their status, for example, bysending messages: at startup, at shutdown, at constant intervals, atselected times, in response to queries received from load balancingmodule 514, or at any other determined times. In some examples, loadbalancing module 514 may query about the status of one or morecomputational nodes 515, for example, by sending messages: at startup,at constant intervals, at pre-selected times, or at any other determinedtimes.

Internal communication module 516 may be configured to receive and/or totransmit information from one or more components of remote processingunit 208. For example, control signals and/or synchronization signalsmay be sent and/or received through internal communication module 516.In one embodiment, input information for computer programs, outputinformation of computer programs, and/or intermediate information ofcomputer programs may be sent and/or received through internalcommunication module 516. In another embodiment, information receivedthough internal communication module 516 may be stored in memory device511, in database 580, in data structures 212A-C, or other memory devicein system 200. For example, information retrieved from data structure212A may be transmitted using internal communication module 516. Inanother example, input data may be received using internal communicationmodule 516 and stored in data structure 212B.

External communication module 517 may be configured to receive and/or totransmit information from one or more components of system 200. Forexample, control signals may be sent and/or received through externalcommunication module 517. In one embodiment, information received thoughexternal communication module 517 may be stored in memory device 511, indatabase 580, in data structures 212A-C, and or any memory device in thesystem 200. In another embodiment, information retrieved from any ofdata structures 212A-C may be transmitted using external communicationmodule 517 to XR unit 204. In another embodiment, input data may betransmitted and/or received using external communication module 517.Examples of such input data may include data received from input unit202, information captured from the environment of user 100 using one ormore sensors (e.g., audio sensor 471, image sensor 472, motion sensor473, environmental sensor 474, other sensors 475), and more.

In some embodiments, aspects of modules 512-517 may be implemented inhardware, in software (including in one or more signal processing and/orapplication specific integrated circuits), in firmware, or in anycombination thereof, executable by one or more processors, alone, or invarious combinations with each other. Specifically, modules 512-517 maybe configured to interact with each other and/or other modules of system200 to perform functions consistent with disclosed embodiments. Memorydevice 511 may include additional modules and instructions or fewermodules and instructions.

Network interface 520, power source 540, processing device 560, anddatabase 580, shown in FIG. 5 , are assumed to have similarfunctionality as the functionality of similar elements described abovewith reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . The specific design and implementationof the above-mentioned components may vary based on the implementationof system 200. In addition, remote processing unit 208 may include moreor fewer components. For example, remote processing unit 208 may includean input interface configured to receive direct input from one or moreinput devices.

Consistent with the present disclosure, a processing device of system200 (e.g., processor within mobile communications device 206, aprocessor within a server 210, a processor within a wearable extendedreality appliance, such as, wearable extended reality appliance 110,and/or a processor within an input device associated with wearableextended reality appliance 110, such as keyboard 104) may use machinelearning algorithms in order to implement any of the methods disclosedherein. In some embodiments, machine learning algorithms (also referredto as machine learning models) may be trained using training examples.Some non-limiting examples of such machine learning algorithms mayinclude classification algorithms, data regressions algorithms, imagesegmentation algorithms, visual detection algorithms (such as objectdetectors, face detectors, person detectors, motion detectors, edgedetectors, etc.), visual recognition algorithms (such as facerecognition, person recognition, object recognition, etc.), speechrecognition algorithms, mathematical embedding algorithms, naturallanguage processing algorithms, support vector machines, random forests,nearest neighbors algorithms, deep learning algorithms, artificialneural network algorithms, convolutional neural network algorithms,recursive neural network algorithms, linear machine learning models,non-linear machine learning models, ensemble algorithms, and so forth.For example, a trained machine learning algorithm may include aninference model, such as a predictive model, a classification model, aregression model, a clustering model, a segmentation model, anartificial neural network (such as a deep neural network, aconvolutional neural network, a recursive neural network, etc.), arandom forest, a support vector machine, and so forth. In some examples,the training examples may include example inputs together with thedesired outputs corresponding to the example inputs. Further, in someexamples, training machine learning algorithms using the trainingexamples may generate a trained machine learning algorithm, and thetrained machine learning algorithm may be used to estimate outputs forinputs not included in the training examples. In some examples,engineers, scientists, processes and machines that train machinelearning algorithms may further use validation examples and/or testexamples. For example, validation examples and/or test examples mayinclude example inputs together with the desired outputs correspondingto the example inputs, a trained machine learning algorithm and/or anintermediately trained machine learning algorithm may be used toestimate outputs for the example inputs of the validation examplesand/or test examples, the estimated outputs may be compared to thecorresponding desired outputs, and the trained machine learningalgorithm and/or the intermediately trained machine learning algorithmmay be evaluated based on a result of the comparison. In some examples,a machine learning algorithm may have parameters and hyper parameters,where the hyper parameters are set manually by a person or automaticallyby a process external to the machine learning algorithm (such as a hyperparameter search algorithm), and the parameters of the machine learningalgorithm are set by the machine learning algorithm according to thetraining examples. In some implementations, the hyper-parameters are setaccording to the training examples and the validation examples, and theparameters are set according to the training examples and the selectedhyper-parameters.

In some examples, a trained machine learning algorithm may be used as aninference model that when provided with an input generates an inferredoutput. For example, a trained machine learning algorithm may include aclassification algorithm, the input may include a sample, and theinferred output may include a classification of the sample (such as aninferred label, an inferred tag, and so forth). In another example, atrained machine learning algorithm may include a regression model, theinput may include a sample, and the inferred output may include aninferred value for the sample. In yet another example, a trained machinelearning algorithm may include a clustering model, the input may includea sample, and the inferred output may include an assignment of thesample to at least one cluster. In an additional example, a trainedmachine learning algorithm may include a classification algorithm, theinput may include an image, and the inferred output may include aclassification of an item depicted in the image. In yet another example,a trained machine learning algorithm may include a regression model, theinput may include an image, and the inferred output may include aninferred value for an item depicted in the image (such as an estimatedproperty of the item, such as size, volume, age of a person depicted inthe image, cost of a product depicted in the image, and so forth). In anadditional example, a trained machine learning algorithm may include animage segmentation model, the input may include an image, and theinferred output may include a segmentation of the image. In yet anotherexample, a trained machine learning algorithm may include an objectdetector, the input may include an image, and the inferred output mayinclude one or more detected objects in the image and/or one or morelocations of objects within the image. In some examples, the trainedmachine learning algorithm may include one or more formulas and/or oneor more functions and/or one or more rules and/or one or moreprocedures, the input may be used as input to the formulas and/orfunctions and/or rules and/or procedures, and the inferred output may bebased on the outputs of the formulas and/or functions and/or rulesand/or procedures (for example, selecting one of the outputs of theformulas and/or functions and/or rules and/or procedures, using astatistical measure of the outputs of the formulas and/or functionsand/or rules and/or procedures, and so forth).

In some embodiments, artificial neural networks may be configured toanalyze inputs and generate corresponding outputs. Some non-limitingexamples of such artificial neural networks may include shallowartificial neural networks, deep artificial neural networks, feedbackartificial neural networks, feed forward artificial neural networks,autoencoder artificial neural networks, probabilistic artificial neuralnetworks, time delay artificial neural networks, convolutionalartificial neural networks, recurrent artificial neural networks,long/short term memory artificial neural networks, and so forth. In someexamples, an artificial neural network may be configured manually. Forexample, a structure of the artificial neural network may be selectedmanually, a type of an artificial neuron of the artificial neuralnetwork may be selected manually, a parameter of the artificial neuralnetwork (such as a parameter of an artificial neuron of the artificialneural network) may be selected manually, and so forth. In someexamples, an artificial neural network may be configured using a machinelearning algorithm. For example, a user may select hyper-parameters forthe artificial neural network and/or the machine learning algorithm, andthe machine learning algorithm may use the hyper-parameters and trainingexamples to determine the parameters of the artificial neural network,for example using back propagation, using gradient descent, usingstochastic gradient descent, using mini-batch gradient descent, and soforth. In some examples, an artificial neural network may be createdfrom two or more other artificial neural networks by combining the twoor more other artificial neural networks into a single artificial neuralnetwork.

In some embodiments, analyzing image data (for example by the methods,steps and modules described herein) may comprise analyzing the imagedata to obtain a preprocessed image data, and subsequently analyzing theimage data and/or the preprocessed image data to obtain the desiredoutcome. Some non-limiting examples of such image data may include oneor more images, videos, frames, footages, 2D image data, 3D image data,and so forth. One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thefollowings are examples, and that the image data may be preprocessedusing other kinds of preprocessing methods. In some examples, the imagedata may be preprocessed by transforming the image data using atransformation function to obtain a transformed image data, and thepreprocessed image data may comprise the transformed image data. Forexample, the transformed image data may comprise one or moreconvolutions of the image data. For example, the transformation functionmay comprise one or more image filters, such as low-pass filters,high-pass filters, band-pass filters, all-pass filters, and so forth. Insome examples, the transformation function may comprise a nonlinearfunction. In some examples, the image data may be preprocessed bysmoothing at least parts of the image data, for example using Gaussianconvolution, using a median filter, and so forth. In some examples, theimage data may be preprocessed to obtain a different representation ofthe image data. For example, the preprocessed image data may comprise: arepresentation of at least part of the image data in a frequency domain;a Discrete Fourier Transform of at least part of the image data; aDiscrete Wavelet Transform of at least part of the image data; atime/frequency representation of at least part of the image data; arepresentation of at least part of the image data in a lower dimension;a lossy representation of at least part of the image data; a losslessrepresentation of at least part of the image data; a time ordered seriesof any of the above; any combination of the above; and so forth. In someexamples, the image data may be preprocessed to extract edges, and thepreprocessed image data may comprise information based on and/or relatedto the extracted edges. In some examples, the image data may bepreprocessed to extract image features from the image data. Somenon-limiting examples of such image features may comprise informationbased on and/or related to: edges; corners; blobs; ridges; ScaleInvariant Feature Transform (SIFT) features; temporal features; and soforth.

In some embodiments, analyzing image data (for example, by the methods,steps and modules described herein) may comprise analyzing the imagedata and/or the preprocessed image data using one or more rules,functions, procedures, artificial neural networks, object detectionalgorithms, face detection algorithms, visual event detectionalgorithms, action detection algorithms, motion detection algorithms,background subtraction algorithms, inference models, and so forth. Somenon-limiting examples of such inference models may include: an inferencemodel preprogrammed manually; a classification model; a regressionmodel; a result of training algorithms, such as machine learningalgorithms and/or deep learning algorithms, on training examples, wherethe training examples may include examples of data instances, and insome cases, a data instance may be labeled with a corresponding desiredlabel and/or result; and so forth.

In some embodiments, analyzing image data (for example, by the methods,steps and modules described herein) may comprise analyzing pixels,voxels, point cloud, range data, etc. included in the image data.

Consistent with the present disclosure, a processing device of system200 may analyze image data captured by an image sensor (e.g., imagesensor 372, image sensor 472, or any other image sensor) in order toimplement any of the methods disclosed herein. In some embodiments,analyzing the image data may comprise analyzing the image data to obtaina preprocessed image data, and subsequently analyzing the image dataand/or the preprocessed image data to obtain the desired outcome. One ofordinary skill in the art will recognize that the followings areexamples, and that the image data may be preprocessed using other kindsof preprocessing methods. In some examples, the image data may bepreprocessed by transforming the image data using a transformationfunction to obtain a transformed image data, and the preprocessed imagedata may comprise the transformed image data. For example, thetransformed image data may comprise one or more convolutions of theimage data. For example, the transformation function may comprise one ormore image filters, such as low-pass filters, high-pass filters,band-pass filters, all-pass filters, and so forth. In some examples, thetransformation function may comprise a nonlinear function. In someexamples, the image data may be preprocessed by smoothing at least partsof the image data, for example using Gaussian convolution, using amedian filter, and so forth. In some examples, the image data may bepreprocessed to obtain a different representation of the image data. Forexample, the preprocessed image data may comprise: a representation ofat least part of the image data in a frequency domain; a DiscreteFourier Transform of at least part of the image data; a Discrete WaveletTransform of at least part of the image data; a time/frequencyrepresentation of at least part of the image data; a representation ofat least part of the image data in a lower dimension; a lossyrepresentation of at least part of the image data; a losslessrepresentation of at least part of the image data; a time ordered seriesof any of the above; any combination of the above; and so forth. In someexamples, the image data may be preprocessed to extract edges, and thepreprocessed image data may comprise information based on and/or relatedto the extracted edges. In some examples, the image data may bepreprocessed to extract image features from the image data. Somenon-limiting examples of such image features may comprise informationbased on and/or related to: edges; corners; blobs; ridges; ScaleInvariant Feature Transform (SIFT) features; temporal features; and soforth. In some examples, analyzing the image data may includecalculating at least one convolution of at least a portion of the imagedata, and using the calculated at least one convolution to calculate atleast one resulting value and/or to make determinations,identifications, recognitions, classifications, and so forth.

Consistent with other aspects of the disclosure, a processing device ofsystem 200 may analyze image data in order to implement any of themethods disclosed herein. In some embodiments, analyzing the image maycomprise analyzing the image data and/or the preprocessed image datausing one or more rules, functions, procedures, artificial neuralnetworks, object detection algorithms, face detection algorithms, visualevent detection algorithms, action detection algorithms, motiondetection algorithms, background subtraction algorithms, inferencemodels, and so forth. Some non-limiting examples of such inferencemodels may include: an inference model preprogrammed manually; aclassification model; a regression model; a result of trainingalgorithms, such as machine learning algorithms and/or deep learningalgorithms, on training examples, where the training examples mayinclude examples of data instances, and in some cases, a data instancemay be labeled with a corresponding desired label and/or result, andmore. In some embodiments, analyzing image data (for example by themethods, steps and modules described herein) may comprise analyzingpixels, voxels, point cloud, range data, etc. included in the imagedata.

A convolution may include a convolution of any dimension. Aone-dimensional convolution is a function that transforms an originalsequence of numbers to a transformed sequence of numbers. Theone-dimensional convolution may be defined by a sequence of scalars.Each particular value in the transformed sequence of numbers may bedetermined by calculating a linear combination of values in asubsequence of the original sequence of numbers corresponding to theparticular value. A result value of a calculated convolution may includeany value in the transformed sequence of numbers. Likewise, ann-dimensional convolution is a function that transforms an originaln-dimensional array to a transformed array. The n-dimensionalconvolution may be defined by an n-dimensional array of scalars (knownas the kernel of the n-dimensional convolution). Each particular valuein the transformed array may be determined by calculating a linearcombination of values in an n-dimensional region of the original arraycorresponding to the particular value. A result value of a calculatedconvolution may include any value in the transformed array. In someexamples, an image may comprise one or more components (such as colorcomponents, depth component, etc.), and each component may include a twodimensional array of pixel values. In one example, calculating aconvolution of an image may include calculating a two dimensionalconvolution on one or more components of the image. In another example,calculating a convolution of an image may include stacking arrays fromdifferent components to create a three dimensional array, andcalculating a three dimensional convolution on the resulting threedimensional array. In some examples, a video may comprise one or morecomponents (such as color components, depth component, etc.), and eachcomponent may include a three dimensional array of pixel values (withtwo spatial axes and one temporal axis). In one example, calculating aconvolution of a video may include calculating a three dimensionalconvolution on one or more components of the video. In another example,calculating a convolution of a video may include stacking arrays fromdifferent components to create a four dimensional array, and calculatinga four dimensional convolution on the resulting four dimensional array.

User interfaces may be indispensable for interacting with computingdevices but may occupy significant space on an electronic display,leaving less room for displaying documents, images, or otherinformation. Interfacing with a computing device while wearing awearable extended reality appliance may alleviate some of theseconstraints by allowing a user to move a user interface to an area inthe extended reality space (e.g., virtual space), beyond predefinedboundaries of an electronic screen.

In some embodiments, operations may be performed for enabling userinterface display mode toggling. Information in a first display regionmay be presented, the first display region having predefined boundaries,wherein the information is manipulatable via a user interfacepresentable in the first display region. A second display region may bepresented via a wearable extended reality appliance, beyond thepredefined boundaries of the first display region, wherein the seconddisplay region is visible via the wearable extended reality appliance. Acontrol for altering a location of the user interface may be provided,wherein in a first mode, the user interface is presented in the firstdisplay region while the information is presented in the first displayregion and in a second mode, the user interface is presented in thesecond display region outside the predefined boundaries of the firstdisplay region while the information is presented in the first displayregion. Toggling may be enabled between the first mode and the secondmode via the control.

In some instances, the description that follows may refer to FIGS. 6A-6Bto 9 , which taken together, illustrate exemplary implementations forenabling user interface display mode toggling, consistent with somedisclosed embodiments. FIGS. 6A-6B to 9 are intended merely tofacilitate conceptualization of one exemplary implementation forperforming operations for selectively operating a wearable extendedreality appliance and do not limit the disclosure to any particularimplementation.

Some embodiments involve a non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for enabling userinterface display mode toggling. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium may be understood as described earlier. A computer-readablemedium containing instructions may refer to such a medium includingprogram code instructions stored thereon, for example to be executed bya computer processor. The instructions may be written in any type ofcomputer programming language, such as an interpretive language (e.g.,scripting languages such as HTML and JavaScript), a procedural orfunctional language (e.g., C or Pascal that may be compiled forconverting to executable code), object-oriented programming language(e.g., Java or Python), logical programming language (e.g., Prolog orAnswer Set Programming), and/or any other programming language. In someembodiments, the instructions may implement methods associated withmachine learning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, digital imageprocessing, optimization algorithms, and/or any other computerprocessing technique. At least one processor may include one or moreprocessing devices as described earlier (e.g., processing device 460 ofFIG. 4 ). Instructions executed by at least one processor may includeimplementing one or more program code instructions in hardware, insoftware (including in one or more signal processing and/or applicationspecific integrated circuits), in firmware, or in any combinationthereof, as described earlier. Causing a processor to perform operationsmay involve causing the processor to calculate, execute, or otherwiseimplement one or more arithmetic, mathematic, logic, reasoning, orinference steps, for example by a computing processor. Enabling mayinclude allowing or permitting an implementation or instance, e.g., of asoftware code execution by at least one processor.

A user interface or UI (e.g., a graphical user interface, or GUI) mayinclude multiple elements (e.g., visually displayed objects) configuredto enable interactions between a user and a computing device (e.g., viaany of input devices of input unit 202 of FIG. 2 ). An element of a UImay include text, graphics, images, or a combination thereof and may bedisplayed in color and/or grey-scale, as one-, two-, orthree-dimensional objects. UI elements may include one or more menubars, tabs, buttons, checkboxes, menus (e.g., drop down menus), textboxes, links, and/or forms, each presenting text and/or graphics (e.g.,images and/or icons). Each UI element may be registered with an eventlistener configured to notify a software application (e.g., an operatingsystem) of a user input. Providing a user input to a UI element (e.g.,by entering text into a text box or form, pressing a button or checkbox,clicking a link, and/or performing a gesture) may invoke one or morecorresponding actions. Actions that may be performed via a UI may relateto an electronic file storing information, and may include opening,closing, sharing, navigating, storing, protecting, printing, recovering,deleting, inserting, maximizing, minimizing, moving, formatting, and/orediting at least a portion of a document, displaying informationassociated with a document (e.g., using the Help or About menus), and/orperforming any other user-invoked action on a document. For instance, aUI may include elements to invoke or terminate an application, editinformation (e.g., such as to insert, copy, delete, and/or otherwisechange a display of text and/or graphics, for instance, in a main body,header, footer, reference, or comment in a document, navigate and/orsearch a document), reference (e.g., cross reference) information withother information, review information (e.g., for spelling and grammar),adjust a display of information (e.g., by adjusting a margin,orientation, size, page break, page number, spacing, indentation, style,color, font, and/or size), share information (e.g., with a differentuser and/or account), secure information (e.g., via privacy settings,encryption, signature and/or a watermark), organize one or more windowspresenting information (e.g., by managing, opening, closing, minimizing,maximizing, and/or moving one or more concurrent windows), transformand/or convert information (e.g., from a linear format to a table,chart, graph, and/or the reverse), access information (e.g., byretrieving and/or sending information from a local and/or remotecomputing device), authenticate information (e.g., via a form to enterpersonal identifying information), or perform any other technique forprocessing information via a user interface.

A display mode for a user interface may include one or more settings forparameters defining which, how, and/or where one or more UI elements maybe presented (e.g., graphically) to a user, and/or how a user mayinteract with a UI (e.g., how UI elements may receive and/or displayinformation). A UI display mode may include one or more settingsdefining one or more of a display region (e.g., a boundary defining alocation for presenting one or more UI elements), which UI elements maybe presented and/or activated (e.g., based on use context and/or a sizeof a display region), one or more display characteristics for one ormore UI elements (e.g., a format, style, size, color, texture,dimensionality, and/or transparency), one or more functionalitiesassociated with one or more UI elements, a display medium (e.g.,physical and/or virtual media) for graphically presenting a UI to auser, one or more user interface devices (e.g., keyboard, mouse,pointer, electronic display device, camera, gesture recognitionsoftware, microphone, speaker, and/or speech recognition software) tofacilitate receiving user inputs and presenting a response to a userinput (e.g., via one or more UI elements), and/or any other setting orcharacteristic affecting a display of a UI. Toggling may refer toswitching, changing, or alternating, e.g., between one or more displaymodes for a UI. For instance, a UI may include one or more controls,that when selected by a user, allow switching back and forth (e.g.,toggling) between different display modes.

Some embodiments involve presenting information in a first displayregion. A display region may include a position or location (e.g.,associated with an area or volume) for visually presenting content. Insome embodiments, a display region may be associated with a singleelectronic display (e.g., a physical electronic screen viewable byanyone or a wearable extended reality appliance viewable only by awearer). In some embodiments, a display region may be associated withmultiple display devices (e.g., an electronic screen viewable by anyonein conjunction with a wearable extended reality appliance viewable onlyby a wearer, and/or multiple electronic screens viewable by anyone). Forinstance, a wearable extended reality appliance may superimpose adisplay of virtual content over an electronic screen displaying (e.g.,non-virtual) content such that the virtual content and the non-virtualcontent are displayed in the same display region with respect to a fieldof view of a user wearing the wearable extended reality appliance,(e.g., using two different electronic display devices). In someembodiments, a display region may be associated with one or more pixelsor voxels (e.g., adjacent or contiguous pixels or voxels) of anelectronic display and/or multiple electronic displays. The pixels orvoxels may be selected, activated, deactivated and/or set (e.g., bydefining a color, hue, shade, saturation, transparency, opacity, or anyother display characteristic) to present information. In some instances,an electronic display (e.g., including a display region defined by oneor more pixels) may correspond to physical electronic screen, and thedisplay region be viewable by anyone (e.g., multiple users) within aviewing range of the physical display screen (e.g., display 352 of FIG.3 ). In some instances, an electronic display (e.g., including a displayregion defined by one or more pixels or voxels) may correspond to aviewer of a wearable extended reality appliance, and the display regionmay be viewable only by the wearer of the wearable extended realityappliance. In some embodiments, a display region may be associated withat least a portion of a field of view (FOV) of a user (e.g., wearing awearable extendible reality appliance). In some embodiments, a displayregion may be associated with a physical object (e.g., a portion of awall, ceiling, or flat surface) onto which content may be projected(e.g., using an LED, LCD, or laser projector). In some embodiments, asize of a display region (e.g., predefined boundaries) may be determinedand/or defined based on software considerations (e.g., as a window,frame, or picture-in-picture, based on one or more user-defined and/ordefault settings). In some embodiments, a size of a display region(e.g., predefined boundaries) may be determined and/or defined based onhardware (e.g., based on a number of pixels of an electronic display, aphysical size of an electronic display, available memory and/or channelbandwidth). Information may include data (e.g., storing facts and/orknowledge encoded as bits or bytes) and/or content (e.g., digitalcontent) rendered using text, graphics, images, sound, video, tactileindicators, or any combination thereof. Information may be associatedwith one or more documents, files, software applications, protocols(e.g., security, communication, and/or memory management protocols),settings (e.g., defining how data may be displayed, shared, protected,stored, searched, edited, deleted, restored, received, or transmitted),computing devices, networks, memory devices and/or processors (e.g.,local and/or remote, physical and/or virtual). Information may includecontent to be displayed and/or metadata associated with content, e.g.,describing how to process, analyze, store, send, receive, and/or displaycontent. In some embodiments, information may be associated with and/ormanipulated via a user interface of a software application. Presentingmay include displaying (e.g., information) visually in a manner to allowviewing by a user, e.g., by activating one or more pixels of anelectronic display. Presenting information (e.g., visually presentinginformation) may include one or more of selecting a display medium fordisplaying data or content, determining a layout, size, and/or style fordisplaying information or content, selecting a region for displayinginformation or content (e.g., in association with a softwareapplication, window, frame, or functionality), selecting, setting,adjusting, activating and/or deactivating one or more pixels (or voxels)of an electronic display to visually present information to a user,activating one or more LEDs, LCDs and/or lasers to project information(e.g., on a wall), and/or perform any other action allowing informationstored in a memory device (e.g., memory device 411) to be visuallyperceived by a user. For example, presenting information in a displayregion may include displaying a document inside a window of a texteditor, displaying a video in a picture-in-picture, displaying a messagein a messaging application, displaying an alert in a popup window, orperform any other rendering of content for visual perception by a user.In some embodiments, an electronic display may present informationcapable of being viewed by anyone in a vicinity of the electronicdisplay, such as a physical screen presenting information as lightemitted into a room, and/or a projector presenting information as animage projected onto a wall and reflected anywhere in a room, allowinganyone in the room to view the information. In some embodiments, anelectronic display may present information for viewing by one user. Forexample, a wearable extended reality appliance may present informationas a virtual image for viewing by a user wearing the wearable extendedreality appliance.

For example, a document (e.g., information) may be displayed inside awindow (e.g., a software defined display region) of a softwareapplication by activating selected pixels of a physical electronicdisplay device (e.g., a hardware defined display region) that may beviewed by any user within a viewing distance of the physical electronicdisplay device. As another example, a 3D chart (e.g., information) maybe displayed by activating selected voxels of a wearable extendedreality appliance and may be viewed only by the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance. As a further example, a video (e.g.,information) may be displayed by projecting successive frames of thevideo on a section of a wall (e.g., a physical display region) using alaser projector.

In some embodiments, the first display region has predefined boundaries.A boundary may refer to a border or edge defining a limit, ordemarcating an area or space (e.g., a 2D or 3D space), e.g., withrespect to one or more other areas or spaces. A boundary of a displayregion may refer to a border or edge demarcating a limit for displayinginformation. In some embodiments, a boundary of a display region may besoftware defined, e.g., by designating pixels of an electronic displaydefining a line or curve (e.g., enclosing a space) demarcating a displayregion, such that pixels (or voxels) on one side of the line or curvemay be included in a display region (e.g., and may be selected fordisplaying content associated with the display region), and pixels (orvoxels) on the opposite side of the line or curve may be excluded from adisplay region (e.g., and may not be selected for displaying contentassociated with the display region). For example, the boundary may be aboundary of a virtual display screen presented via a wearable extendedreality appliance. In some embodiments, a boundary of a display regionmay be hardware defined, e.g., as a size limitation of an electronicscreen. In some embodiments, a boundary of a display region may be basedon a field of view of a user (e.g., wearing a wearable extended realityappliance). A predefined boundary may refer to a border for a displayregion defined or determined in advance, e.g., according to one or moresettings. For instance, a predefined boundary may be associated with oneor more physical and/or software considerations. Physical considerationsfor defining a predefined boundary may include hardware considerations,such as a physical size of an electronic display, a number of availablepixels or voxels of an electronic display device, a pixel or voxel size,a memory (e.g., buffer) limitation, as well as one or more physicalobjects in proximity to an electronic display device (e.g., obstructinga portion of a display), illumination conditions in proximity to anelectronic display device, and/or any other physical considerationsaffecting the display of content via an electronic display device.Software considerations for defining a predefined boundary (e.g., fordelimiting a display region for presenting information) may include atype, size, context, timing, and/or amount of information to bedisplayed, additional content displayed concurrently (e.g., inside oneor more additional windows or frames optionally associated with adifferent software application), an amount of available memory orprocessing time, a focus, transparency, and/or level of a window orframe associated with displaying information, one or more default and/oruser-defined settings and/or considerations associated with an operatingsystem and/or a software application associated with displaying theinformation, or any other software considerations for determining whereto display information on an electronic display device. Examples ofdisplay regions having predefined boundaries may include a defaultwindow of a text editor (e.g., a software application) for presenting adocument (e.g., information), a user-defined picture-in-picture fordisplaying a video, physical dimensions of an electronic display device,and/or a field of view seen through an extended reality appliance.

In some embodiments, the information is manipulatable via a userinterface presentable in the first display region. A user interface maybe understood as described earlier. In some embodiments, the userinterface includes at least one of a menu bar, a drop down menu, afavorites column, tabs, an application tray, a settings menu, a taskbar, or any other UI element that allows users to perform actions, inputdata, or access information in a clear and intuitive way. A menu bar mayrefer to a graphical control element (e.g., displayed as a thin bar)containing labels (e.g., including descriptive text and/or icons) formenu items, each menu item corresponding to a category of parametersettings and/or functions associated with a software application. Insome embodiments, selecting a label of a menu item invokes acorresponding action. For example, selecting a disc icon (e.g., a menuitem) on a menu bar may cause a document to be saved to disc. A dropdown menu may refer to a menu item for a particular category ofparameter settings and/or functions that when selected, presents labelsfor parameter settings and/or functions for sub-categories of theparticular category. In some embodiments, selecting a label of a dropdown menu displays another drop down menu for a further sub-category ofparameter settings and/or functions. In some embodiments, selecting alabel of a drop down menu invokes a corresponding action. For example,selecting a Font menu item of a menu bar may present a drop down menuincluding multiple options (e.g., sub-categories) for formatting text.Selecting the Highlight option from the drop down menu of the Font menuitem may present another drop down menu including multiple color options(e.g., a sub-category of a sub-category) for highlighting text.Selecting a specific color from the drop down menu of the Highlightoption may cause text to be highlighted with the selected color. Afavorites column (e.g., or list) may include one or more previouslyselected, viewed, and/or accessed contacts, documents, or files. In someembodiments, a favorites column may be displayed on a drop down menu. Atab may refer to a graphical index for locating and/or selecting adocument, panel, window, frame, or application. For instance, selectinga tab in a window for a browser application may cause the browserapplication to fetch new content from a website associated with theselected tab and render the new content in the window. An applicationtray may include multiple graphic elements (e.g., including icons,and/or text) each associated with a different software application suchthat selecting a graphic element invokes the software application. Forinstance, an application tray may include icons for frequently usedapplications. A settings menu may include multiple options (e.g.,displayed in a list or nested lists) affecting operational aspects of acomputing device, such as connectivity, privacy, security, display,sound, and/or communication options. A task bar may refer to a displayregion of an electronic display dedicated to displaying elements (e.g.,as icons) corresponding to software applications, such that selecting anelement invokes the corresponding software application.

A user interface presentable in a display region may refer to one ormore UI elements formatted (e.g., selected, styled, and/or sized) fordisplaying via at least a portion of an electronic display. In someembodiments, a UI may be presented in a peripheral portion (e.g., at thetop, sides, or bottom) of a window, e.g., to avoid distracting a userfocusing on information displayed in a central portion of the window. Insome embodiments, a location for presenting a UI may be adjusted by auser. Information that is manipulatable may refer to information thatmay be processed or modified, e.g., via a UI of a software application.Examples of processing or modifying (e.g., manipulating) information mayinclude performing arithmetic or logical operations on information(e.g., in association with a spreadsheet application), transformingnumerical or text information to a graphical format and the reverse,editing (e.g., by inserting, deleting, copying, pasting, or formatting)information, converting linear information to a hierarchical or tabularform, converting information for use by a different software application(e.g., text to image and the reverse), storing, deleting, recovering,copying, printing, and/or sharing information, linking information toother information (e.g., by adding references to information),determining a layout for displaying information (e.g., by defining aheader, footer, margin, page break, page number, page size, color,style, resolution) or performing any other type of operation to modifyand/or process information.

For example, a menu bar including multiple UI elements for a textediting application may be presented in a top portion of a window (e.g.,a first display region) displaying an editable document (e.g.,information). A user may invoke an action to manipulate the document byselecting one or more of the UI elements. For instance, selecting anInsert UI element may allow adding special characters or graphics to thedocument, and selecting a View UI element may allow viewing the documentusing a different layout or format. As another example, an applicationtray including icons corresponding to different software applicationsmay be presented at the side or bottom of a home page of an operatingsystem allowing a user to invoke a software applications by selecting acorresponding icon. For instance, a software application may permitsharing information with a different user, device, or account.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 6Aillustrating an exemplary system 600 for enabling user interface displaymode toggling in a first mode of operation, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. System 600 includes a user 602viewing information 604 (e.g., a document) inside a window 606 (e.g., ofa text editing application) while wearing a wearable extended realityappliance 608. Information 604 is presented on an electronic screen 610(e.g., a first display region) having a predefined number of pixels fordisplaying content (e.g., a predefined boundary). In some embodiments,electronic screen 610 is configured with mobile communications device206 and remote processing unit 208 of FIG. 2 . User 602 may manipulateinformation 604 by selecting one or more options of a user interface 612displayed inside window 606 presented on electronic screen 610 (e.g.,the first display region). For example, user interface 612 may present adrop down “View” menu presenting a “New Window” element 614 to view acopy 604A of information 604, thereby manipulating the display ofinformation 604. User interface 612 may additionally include a task bar616 presenting multiple applications that may be invoked by selecting acorresponding icon. In another example, information 604 may includetext, and user interface 612 may enable changing fonts, size, color, andso forth of selected portions of the text. In yet another example,information 604 may include an image, and user interface 612 may enablechanging brightness, contrast and so forth of the image

Some embodiments involve presenting, via a wearable extended realityappliance, a second display region beyond the predefined boundaries ofthe first display region. A wearable extended reality appliances mayrefer to a head-mounted device, for example, smart glasses, smartcontact lens, headsets or any other device worn by a human for purposesof presenting an extended reality to the human, as described earlier. Asecond display region beyond predefined boundaries of a display regionmay refer to a portion of the display that may be external to or outsidepredefined limits (e.g., determined in advance) of a display region. Asecond display region beyond the predefined boundaries of a firstdisplay region may include another position or location corresponding toan area or volume for visually presenting content that is different(e.g., at least partially non-overlapping) than the first displayregion. In some embodiments, the first display region and the seconddisplay region may be distinct (e.g., entirely non-overlapping). In someinstances, a first display region and a second display region maycorrespond to different portions (e.g., at least partiallynon-overlapping) of a field of view (FOV) of a user, such that at leastpart of the second display region may be outside the limits (e.g.,beyond the boundaries) of the first display region. In some instances, afirst display region and a second display region may be associated withdifferent display devices (e.g., different types of display devicesand/or different display devices of the same type), different regions ofa single display device (e.g., different portions of an electronicscreen or of a viewer of an extended reality appliance), differentregions of a physical space (e.g., for projecting information and/ordisplaying virtual information), and/or different software applications.For instance, a first display region and a second display region maycorrespond to bottom and top halves, respectively, of an electronicdisplay screen. As another example, a first display region may beassociated with an active portion of a wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., including pixels selected to emit light to project animage) and may be viewable by a user wearing the wearable extendedreality appliance and a second display region may be associated with aphysical wall on which an image is projected, and may be viewed by auser through a transparent portion (e.g., an inactive portion) of awearable extended reality appliance (e.g., as well as by anyone else inviewing distance of the wall).

In some embodiments, the second display region is visible via thewearable extended reality appliance. Visible may refer to a capabilityof being seen, visually perceived or sensed (e.g., by a human). Adisplay region visible via a wearable extended reality appliance mayrefer to a point or location of an area or volume that may be seen(e.g., visually perceived) by a user wearing a wearable extended realityappliance. For example, a display region visible via a wearable extendedreality appliance may include a portion of a field of view of a userwearing the wearable extended reality appliance aligned with one or moreactivated pixels displaying virtual content, e.g., via a non-transparentor a semi-transparent section of a wearable extended reality appliance.As another example, a display region visible via a wearable extendedreality appliance may include a portion of a field of view of a userwearing a wearable extended reality appliance aligned with at least apartially transparent section of the wearable extended reality applianceallowing the user to see information (e.g., displayed on a physicalscreen or projected on a wall) through the wearable extended realityappliance, and corresponding to one or more inactive pixels of thewearable extended reality appliance.

For instance, a user wearing a wearable extended reality appliance mayview, through a transparent section of the wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., corresponding to a first portion of an FOV of theuser), information displayed on an electronic screen (e.g., the firstdisplay region) and which may be viewable by anyone within a viewingdistance, including users not wearing a wearable extended realityappliance. Concurrently, the user may view, through a non-transparent orsemi-transparent section of the wearable extended reality appliance,(e.g., corresponding to a second portion of the FOV of the user),virtual information displayed by the wearable extended reality appliance(e.g., the second display region).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, an FOV of user 602 mayinclude a central region aligned with electronic screen 610 (e.g., afirst display region having predefined boundaries), and a peripheralregion 618, surrounding the central region (e.g., a second displayregion beyond the predefined boundaries of the first display region) forviewing virtual content. Both electronic screen 610 and peripheralregion 618 may be viewable via wearable extended reality appliance 608.User 602 may view information 604 displayed on electronic screen 610through a transparent section of wearable extended reality appliance 608(e.g., where pixels of wearable extended reality appliance 608 areinactivate) while concurrently viewing virtual content in anon-transparent section of wearable extended reality appliance 608(e.g., including activated pixels of wearable extended reality appliance608).

In some embodiments, the predefined boundaries are associated with avirtual screen and the display of the information occurs via thewearable extended reality appliance. A virtual screen (e.g., a virtualdisplay screen) may refer to simulation of a physical screen (e.g.,using a wearable extended reality appliance) that may not be confined toa location and/or dimensions of a physical screen (e.g., the size,position, orientation, color, transparency, opacity, and/or other visualcharacteristic of a virtual screen may be defined by software). Forinstance, a wearable extended reality appliance may display a virtualscreen to a user wearing the wearable extended reality appliance byselectively activating pixels to project an image of the virtual screen.In some embodiments, a virtual screen may be located anywhere within anFOV of a user. For example, a virtual screen may remain in an FOV of auser wearing a wearable extended reality appliance as the user changestheir directional gaze (e.g., the virtual screen may be locked to thedirectional gaze of the user). By contrast, a physical screen maydisappear from an FOV of a user when the user changes their directionalgaze, e.g., away from the physical screen. Predefined boundariesassociated with a virtual screen may refer to a border or perimeter(e.g., defined in advance) demarcating an area or volume withing which avirtual screen may be displayed. Predefined boundaries associated with avirtual screen may be associated with one or more physical, hardware,and/or software considerations. For instance, a boundary of a virtualscreen may be determined based on one or more of an FOV of a user, anumber of pixels included in a wearable extended reality appliance, aphysical size of a wearable extended reality appliance, position of aphysical object (e.g., obstructing a portion of an FOV of a user), alighting condition, an algorithm allocating portions of an FOV of a userand/or portions of a viewer of a wearable extended reality appliance,and/or one or more settings (e.g., default and/or user-defined softwaresetting). A display of information occurring via a wearable extendedreality appliance may involve receiving information for display,determining a format and/or layout for displaying information (e.g., bydetermining a size, resolution, style, and/or color palette for theinformation), selecting a display region for a wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., by selecting pixels corresponding to a portion of aviewer of the wearable extended reality appliance and/or aligned with aportion of an FOV of a user), mapping information to a pattern ofpixels, and/or activating a pattern of pixels to project an imagecorresponding to information.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 7 illustrates a system 700 forenabling user interface display mode toggling, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. System 700 may be substantiallysimilar to system 600 with a notable difference that information 604 maybe presented to user 602 inside a virtual screen 702 displayed viawearable extended reality appliance 608. Boundaries of virtual screen702 may be defined by a software application associated with information604, /or by an algorithm allocating a portion of wearable extendedreality appliance 608 and/or allocating a portion of the FOV of user 602for virtual screen 702.

In some embodiments, the predefined boundaries are associated with aphysical screen and the display of the information occurs via thephysical screen. A physical screen may refer to an electronic displaydevice including an array of pixels configured to project a pattern oflight by selectively activating at least some of the pixels, where thepattern may be viewed by anyone within viewing range of the array ofpixels, (e.g., without requiring wearing a wearable extended realityappliance). Predefined boundaries associated with a physical screen mayrefer to software, physical and/or hardware limitations affecting adisplay of information via an electronic display device, such as thephysical dimensions of an electronic display device, a number ofavailable pixels of an electronic display device, a size of a container(e.g., window) associated with displaying information (e.g., defined bya software application), memory limitations of an electronic display,processing limitations of at least one processor associated with anelectronic display, and/or one or more user-defined and/or defaultsettings for an electronic display (e.g., splitting a screen into one ormore sections). A display of information occurring via a physical screenmay involve one or more of detecting, locating, and/or identifying aphysical screen, determining a size and/or resolution for a physicalscreen, selecting a display area within a physical screen, receivinginformation for display, formatting and/or determining a layout fordisplaying information (e.g., by adjusting a size, resolution, style,and/or color palette for displaying the information), and/or selecting,activating, deactivating, and/or setting a color, hue, shade,transparency, and/or opacity for one or more pixels of a physicalscreen, e.g., corresponding to a layout for presenting information. Forexample, information may be displayed on an electronic display devicedisplay (e.g., display 352 of FIG. 3 ) having fixed physical dimensions,and a fixed number of pixels.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, electronic screen 610 maybe a physical or tangible display device (e.g., corresponding to display352) resting on a physical or tangible surface 620. Electronic screen610 may include a fixed number of pixels per square inch (e.g., 72 PPI)and may have a fixed size (e.g., measured diagonally from corner tocorner, and/or measured as length vs height) defining a boundaryassociated with electronic screen 610. Information 604 (e.g., adocument) may be displayed on electronic screen 610 within theboundaries defined (e.g., predefined) by the physical dimensions ofelectronic screen 610.

In some embodiments, the predefined boundaries are associated with aphysical object and the display of the information is performed by thewearable extended reality appliance by overlaying the information invirtual form, on the physical object. A physical object may refer tomatter (e.g., tangible matter) contained within an identifiable volumeor area that may be moved as a unit. Some examples of physical objectsmay include a surface of a desk, a shelf (e.g., supporting otherphysical objects), a wall, a ceiling, a floor, a physical keyboarddevice, an electronic mouse, and a stylus. A physical object may bemoveable or stationary, at least partially opaque, translucent, and/ortransparent. In some embodiments, a physical object may have a flat,smooth surface suitable as a background for a display of information(e.g., in a virtual and/or projected form). Predefined boundariesassociated with a physical object may include dimensions (e.g., length,width, height) of at least a part of a physical object. For instance,predefined boundaries associated with a physical object may correspondto at least a portion of a physical object contained within an FOV of auser (e.g., wearing a wearable extended reality appliance), within aviewing range of a wearable extendible reality appliance, and/or withina projection range of a projector device. Information in virtual formmay refer to information mapped to a pattern of pixels (e.g., of awearable extended reality appliance), such that activating the patternof pixels causes an image corresponding to the information (e.g., viathe mapping) to be projected onto a retina of a user, allowing the userto receive the information as an image. In some embodiments, informationin virtual form may be manifested optically (e.g., as an image) but maylack a tangible form. In some embodiments, information in virtual may beviewable only by a wearer of a wearable extendible reality appliance.Overlaying may refer to superimposing, positioning, or displaying on topof an object. Overlaying information in virtual form on a physicalobject may include one or more of detecting a physical object withinviewing range of a wearable extendible reality appliance, determining aboundary of a physical object, determining a layout and/or format fordisplaying information within a boundary of a physical object, mapping alayout and/or format for displaying information onto a pattern of pixelsof a wearable extendible reality appliance, and activating a pattern ofpixels to cause an image corresponding to the information to beprojected for viewing by a user such that the image may appear as thoughdisplayed over (e.g., overlayed or superimposed) on a physical object.

For example, a wearable extended reality appliance may project an imageof a keyboard onto a retina of a user to appear as though a keyboard(e.g., information in virtual form) is resting (e.g., overlayed) on asurface of a desk (e.g., a physical object). As another example, awearable extended reality appliance may project an image of a documentonto a retina of a user to appear as though a document (e.g.,information in virtual form) is displayed (e.g., overlayed) on a wall(e.g., a physical object).

Some embodiments involve providing a control for altering a location ofthe user interface. A control may refer to an element (e.g., aninteractive element) associated with one or more managing, governing,commanding, adjusting, maneuvering, and/or manipulating functionalities(e.g., control functionalities). A control may allow a user to decideone or more operational aspects for a software application (e.g.,whether, how, where, and when information may be displayed and/orprocessed). Examples of control elements may include buttons, tabs,switches, check boxes, input fields, clickable icons or images, links,and/or any other text and/or graphical element configured to receive aninput and invoke a corresponding action in response. Providing a controlmay include displaying a graphic element (e.g., a graphic controlelement), associating a graphic control element with one or more controlfunctionalities, enabling a graphic control element to receive an input(e.g., using an event listener), associating a user input received via agraphic control element with a control functionality, and invoking anaction corresponding to a control functionality upon receiving an inputvia a graphic control element. Altering may refer to changing, moving,modifying, and/or adjusting. A location may refer to a position (e.g.,defined in 2D or 3D space). A location may be absolute (e.g., relativeto a fixed point on the Earth) or relative (e.g., with respect to a userand/or a wearable extendible reality appliance). Altering a location ofa user interface may involve one or more of determining a new locationfor displaying a user interface, determining a layout and/or format fordisplaying a user interface at a new location, selecting pixels fordisplaying a user interface at a new location, activating selectedpixels for displaying a user interface at a new location, ordeactivating pixels displaying a user interface at a prior location. Forexample, a control button may be displayed in association with a UI of asoftware application allowing a user to maneuver the display of the UIby clicking the control button. Clicking the control button may collapsethe UI, or move the UI to a location external to a window associatedwith the software application.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 6A illustrates a control button622 (e.g., “GOTO XR”) for altering a location of user interface 612.Pressing control button 622 may cause user interface 612 to be displayedin peripheral region 618, e.g., external to the boundaries of electronicscreen 610, to alter the location of user interface 612.

In some embodiments, in a first mode, the user interface is presented inthe first display region while the information is presented in the firstdisplay region. A mode may refer to a way or manner in which somethingmay occur or may be experienced, expressed, or done, e.g., inassociation with one or more parameter settings and/or definitions for aspecific context or use case. For instance, a software application mayinclude multiple modes (e.g., use modes) each associated with a set ofparameter settings and definitions allowing to tailor, adapt, and/oradjust one or more functionalities of the software application for oneor more contexts, use cases, users, accounts, and/or devices. Parametersettings and definitions of a mode may affect a location, style, size,and/or device for displaying content, and/or functionalities of asoftware application. For example, a first mode may include settingsallowing a user to interact with a software application via a singleelectronic display, and a second mode may include settings allowing auser to interact with a software application via multiple electronicdisplays. As another example, a first mode may be associated with aprivate use-case, (e.g., non-networked use) and a second mode may beassociated with a collaborative use-case with multiple users (e.g., viaa communications network). As a further example, a first mode may beassociated with a first subset of available functionalities and a secondmode may be associated with a second subset of the availablefunctionalities (e.g., each subset associated with a different use caseor context). Presenting a user interface in a display region whileinformation is presented in the display region may refer to displayinginformation and a UI (e.g., allowing to manipulate the information)concurrently in the same display region, thereby allowing a user to viewand interact (e.g., via the UI) with information inside the same displayregion. For instance, in a first mode, a UI may be displayed as a barinside a window displaying information using an electronic screen (e.g.,viewable by anyone). As another example, in a first mode, a virtual UImay be presented with a virtual display of information via a wearableextended reality appliance. Presenting a user interface in a displayregion while information is presented in the display region may includeone or more of identifying one or more electronic displays associatedwith a display region (e.g., a physical screen and/or a wearableextended reality appliance), determining a size of a display region(e.g., as a number of pixels of an electronic display device and/or aportion of an FOV), determining a layout and/or format for presentinginformation together with a user interface in a display region (e.g.,based on a size of a display region), mapping a layout and/or format forpresenting information together with a user interface to a pattern ofpixels of one or more electronic displays, and/or activating a patternof pixels associated with one or more electronic displays (e.g.,corresponding to a presentation of information together with a userinterface).

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 6A illustrates user interface 612presented in electronic screen 610 (e.g., a first display region) whileinformation 604 is presented in electronic screen 610, where theboundaries of electronic screen 610 are limited by a physical size ofelectronic screen 610.

In some embodiments, in a second mode, the user interface is presentedin the second display region outside the predefined boundaries of thefirst display region while the information is presented in the firstdisplay region. Outside may refer to external to, or beyond boundariesof, e.g., a display region. A second mode may refer to one or moreparameter setting and/or definitions causing a UI and information to bedisplayed concurrently in different display regions. For instance,information may be displayed in a first display region and a UI may bedisplayed in a section of a second display region that does not overlapwith the first display region such that the UI and the information aredisplayed in separate or distinct display regions. In some embodiments,the first mode and second mode are associated with differing displayregions provided by the same display device. In some embodiments, thefirst and second mode are associated with differing display regionsprovided by differing display devices.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 6Billustrating exemplary system 600 for enabling user interface displaymode toggled to a second mode of operation, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6B may be substantiallysimilar to FIG. 6A with a notable difference that user interface 612 maybe presented in peripheral region 618 of the FOV of user 602 (e.g., thesecond display region), corresponding to at least a partiallynon-transparent section of wearable extended reality appliance 608, andexternal to the predefined boundaries of electronic screen 610 (e.g.,the first display region), thereby displaying information 604 and userinterface 612 concurrently using two different and non-overlappingdisplay regions.

In some embodiments, in the first mode, manipulation of the informationin the first display region is enabled from within the first displayregion, and in the second mode, manipulation of the information in thefirst display region is enabled from the second display region.Manipulating information from within a display region may includeinterfacing with at least one processor by submitting an input (e.g.,using a keyboard, a pointing device, a gesture, or any other interfacingdevice) while a cursor is positioned inside a display region, therebyassociating the display region with the at least one processor,associating an input with an action to manipulate (e.g., modify orchange) information, and invoking an action to manipulate information inresponse to an input. Consequently, inputs received may be applied toinformation presented inside the display region. For instance, in thefirst mode, a UI may be displayed in the same display region as theinformation, such that a user may interface with the UI to manipulatethe information from inside the same display region. Similarly, in thesecond mode, a UI may be displayed in a second display region while theinformation may be displayed in the first region, such that a user mayinterface with the UI to manipulate the information from a differentdisplay region than where the information is displayed.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, user 602 may manipulateinformation 604 presented in window 606 on electronic screen 610 (e.g.,the first display region) by interacting with user interface 612displayed with information 604 inside window 606 (e.g., from within thefirst display region). In FIG. 6B, user 602 may manipulate information604 presented in window 606 on electronic screen 610 (e.g., the firstdisplay region) by interacting with user interface 612 displayed inperipheral region 618 via wearable extended reality appliance 608 (e.g.,from within the second display region).

Some embodiments involve enabling toggling between the first mode andthe second mode via the control. Enabling may refer to facilitating,permitting, and/or allowing. Enabling toggling between the first modeand the second mode may include facilitating, permitting, and/orallowing to switch back and forth between a first set of parametersettings and/or definitions associated with a first mode and a secondset of parameter settings and/or definitions associated with a secondmode. Enabling toggling between the first mode and the second mode viathe control may include one or more of recording in memory (e.g., memory411) a set of parameter settings and/or definitions for a first mode anda second mode for a software application, associating a current mode fora software application with one of a first mode and a second mode,displaying an interactive element (e.g., a control) for switching a modefor a software application, receiving an input via an interactiveelement for switching a mode, retrieving from memory a set of parameterssettings and/or definitions associated with a mode other than a currentmode, and/or applying a set of parameter setting and/or definitions to asoftware application to thereby switch to a mode other than a currentmode. In some embodiments, the control is configured to receive an inputto enable the toggling between the first mode and the second mode. Aninput may include data entered by a user (e.g., via a user interface).An input may include text, speech, a gesture, a selection by a pointingdevice, or any other type of user interaction with at least one control.A user may send an input to at least one processor using an input device(e.g., included in input unit 202). A control configured to receive aninput may refer to an interactive element (e.g., associated with anevent listener), such that when data is submitted using an input devicein association with the interactive element, a notification associatedwith the input may be transmitted to at least one processor. Forinstance, a user interface of a software application displayed in afirst display region may include an interactive button prompting a userto switch from a current mode to a different mode. Upon receiving aninput (e.g., a click event) via the interactive button, the softwareapplication may adjust or modify one or more parameter settings causingthe user interface to be displayed in the second region, e.g., accordingto the different mode. The user interface displayed in the second regionmay include an interactive button (e.g., the same or differentinteractive button) prompting a user to switch back to the current mode,thereby enabling a user to toggle between the current mode and thedifferent mode.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, user interface 612displayed via electronic screen 610 (e.g., a first display region)includes a control button 622 (e.g., an interactive button “GOTO XR”)prompting user 602 to switch to an extended reality mode (e.g., a secondmode). Upon receiving a user input (e.g., a click event) via controlbutton 622, one or more parameter settings may be retrieved from memory(e.g., memory device 411) in association with an extended realitydisplay mode. In FIG. 6B, the one or more parameter settings may beapplied to thereby display user interface 612 in peripheral region 618via wearable extended reality appliance 608.

By way of another non-limiting example, reference is made to FIGS.8A-8B, which together, illustrate a dual mode user interface, consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8A, in a firstmode, user interface 800 may be displayed in a first display region 808having predefined boundaries (e.g., corresponding to first displayregion 610) concurrently with information (e.g., information 604). Toobtain more space in first display region 808, user interface 800 mayinclude a control 804 (e.g., “Goto XR”) which may be selected to switchto a second mode. For instance, user 602 may select control 804 using anelectronic mouse 628. Control 804 may be an interactive element (e.g., aclickable button) that when selected, applies parameter settings totoggle between the first mode and the second mode. Thus, if a current isthe first mode, selecting control 804 may switch to a second mode. InFIG. 8B, in the second mode, user interface 800 may be displayed in asecond display region 810 (e.g., included in peripheral region 618)beyond the predefined boundaries of first display region 808, whileinformation is displayed in first display region 808. While displayed inthe second display region, user interface 800 may present control 804(e.g., “Go Back”) for returning the display of user interface 800 tofirst display region 808 (e.g., according to the first mode), andthereby enable toggling between the first mode and the second mode.

In some embodiments, in the first mode the user interface is presentedin a two dimensional form and in the second mode the user interface ispresented in a three dimensional form. A two-dimensional form may referto a display format spanning a flat or planar area having two degrees offreedom (e.g., x and y coordinates corresponding to horizontal andvertical axes), such that a display of two or more elements associatedwith the same x and y coordinates may be displayed at the same location(e.g., overlapping or coinciding). A three-dimensional form may refer toa display format spanning a volume having three degrees of freedom(e.g., x, y, and z coordinates corresponding to horizontal, vertical,and depth axes), such that a display of two or more elements associatedwith the same x and y coordinates may be displayed at differinglocations due to differing values of the z coordinate. Examples oftwo-dimensional forms may include a rectangle, a triangle, a circle, oran ellipse. Examples of three-dimensional forms may include a cuboid, acone or tetrahedron, a sphere, or an ellipsoid. For instance, in a firstmode, a user interface may be displayed as a flat panel includingmultiple flat interactive elements such that two different elementscannot be interactively displayed at the same vertical and horizontalpositions. Whereas in a second mode, a user interface may be displayedinside a volume such that two different elements may be interactivelydisplayed at the same vertical and horizontal positions but at differingdepths. Presenting a user interface in a two dimensional form mayinclude presenting at least a portion of a user interface in twodimensional form, e.g., by activating one or more pixels of atwo-dimensional electronic display. Presenting a user interface in athree dimensional form may include presenting at least a portion of auser interface in three dimensional form, e.g., by activating one ormore voxels of a three-dimensional electronic display. For instance, acontrol may allow a user to toggle between a two-dimensional renderingof a user interface (e.g., a first mode) and a three-dimensionalrendering of a user interface (e.g., a second mode). In someembodiments, a two-dimensional form for a user interface may bedisplayed using an electronic screen and/or a wearable extended realityappliance. In some embodiments, a three-dimensional form for a userinterface may be displayed using a wearable extended reality appliance.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, in a first mode, userinterface 612, displayed via electronic screen 610 (e.g., the firstdisplay region) includes a task bar 616 (e.g., rendered as atwo-dimensional user interface element) presenting multiple clickableicons, each associated with a different software application. Eachclickable icon of task bar 616 may be associated with different verticaland horizontal coordinates such that the icons do not overlap. Turningto FIG. 6B, upon receiving a user input via control button 622, at leastone processor (e.g., processing device 460) may display user interface612 according to a second mode (e.g., an extended reality “XR” mode). Inthe second mode, user interface 612 may be displayed in peripheralregion 618 (e.g., the second display region) via wearable extendedreality appliance 608 and may include a three-dimensional applicationtray 624, (e.g., corresponding to task bar 616 of FIG. 6A) presentingmultiple clickable icons. Some of clickable icon of application tray 624may be associated with the same or similar vertical and horizontalcoordinates but may have different depths coordinates such that theclickable icons do not overlap.

In some embodiments, in the first mode the user interface has a firstappearance, and in the second mode the user interface has a secondappearance different than the first appearance. An appearance may referto one or more visible characteristics, such as a style (e.g., textversus graphic), font, size, color (e.g., color scheme), luminance, hue,shade, transparency, opacity, location, two versus three dimensionalrendering, spacing, margins, headers, footers, or any other visibledisplay characteristic. For example, in a first mode, the user interfacemay include graphic icons for differing functionalities (e.g., a homeicon to represent a home menu, and a file icon to represent a filemenu), and in a second mode, the user interface may substitute text fordiffering functionalities (e.g., “Home” for a home menu and “File” for aFile menu). Switching between the first and second modes may allow auser to switch between a graphic-based user interface and a text-baseduser interface. As another example, in a first mode a menu bar of a userinterface may be displayed at a top of a window displaying information,whereas in a second mode, the menu bar of a user interface may bedisplayed at a bottom or a side of the window. As a further example, ina first mode, a user interface may be displayed on an electronic screenwith an opacity level of 100% and in a second mode, a user interface maybe displayed virtually via a wearable extended reality appliance with anopacity level of 70%, allowing a user to see partially through the userinterface.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 6A illustrates user interface 612displayed as an upper bar of window 606 presenting information 604 onelectronic screen 610. To conserve space within the predefinedboundaries of electronic screen 610 and/or window 606 (e.g., the firstdisplay region corresponding to the first mode), elements of userinterface 612 may be crowded together and stacked on top of each other(e.g., a first appearance). FIG. 6B illustrates user interface 612(e.g., as viewed by user 602 via wearable extended reality appliance608) as multiple interactive features “floating” in peripheral region618 (e.g., the second display region) above electronic screen 610.Boundaries of peripheral region 618 may be limited by the field of viewof user 602 may be larger than the predefined boundaries of electronicscreen 610, allowing to space elements of user interface 612 furtherapart (e.g., a second appearance).

In some embodiments, the first appearance is a minimized version of theuser interface, and the second appearance is an unminimized version ofthe user interface. A minimized version of a user interface may refer toan at least partially collapsed or hidden state of a user interface, forinstance to unclutter a display or to view other documents withoutclosing the user interface Minimizing a user interface may cause a userinterface to at least partially disappear from view and may limitinvocation of one or more associated functionalities, while the userinterface may continue to run in a background process. In someembodiments, a minimized user interface may be restored to anunminimized version using an interactive element (e.g., a button). Anunminimized version of a user interface may refer to an unhidden orexpanded state of a user interface presenting a user with multipleinteractive elements for invoking one or more functionalities, asdescribed earlier. In some embodiments, at least some functionalitiesavailable via an unminimized version of the user interface may beunavailable when interfacing via a minimized version of the userinterface. A user may toggle between the minimized and unminimized viewsof a user interface using a control, (e.g., implemented as aninteractive button.)

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIGS. 8C-8D,which together, illustrate another dual mode user interface, consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure. In FIG. 8C, to savespace, a minimized version 802 of a user interface may present only asubset of the interactive elements provided by user interface 800 (e.g.,an unminimized version of the user interface). In some embodiments, in afirst mode, minimized version 802 of user interface 800 may be displayedin first display region 808 (e.g., corresponding to first display region610) concurrently with information (e.g., information 604). Minimizeduser interface 802 may include control 804 (e.g., “Go to XR”) allowingto toggle between the first mode and the second mode, such thatselecting control 804 while in the first mode invokes the second mode.In FIG. 8D, upon switching to the second mode, unminimized version 800of the user interface may be presented in second display region 810(e.g., included in peripheral region 618) Unminimized version 800 maypresent interactive elements that may not be included in minimizedversion 802 and may thus have a different appearance than minimizedversion 802. Unminimized version 800 may include control 804 (e.g., “GoBack”) such that selecting control 804 while in the second mode switchesback to the first mode, thereby enabling toggling between the first modeand the second mode. For example, user 602 may select control 804 usingelectronic mouse 628.

In some embodiments, in the first mode, an unminimized version of theuser interface is presented in the first display region and in thesecond mode, the unminimized version of the user interface is presentedin the second display region outside the predefined boundaries of thefirst display region while a minimized version of the user interface ispresented in the first display region. For instance, the first displayregion may present at least some functionalities of a user interface inboth the first and second mode, allowing a user to at least partiallymanipulate information from inside the first display region in bothmodes. However, in the first mode, the unminimized version of the userinterface presented in the first display region may provide a full setof functionalities for manipulating information from inside the firstdisplay region. In the second mode, the minimized version of the userinterface presented in the first display region may provide only apartial set of functionalities for manipulating information from insidethe first display region. Concurrently, in the second mode, anunminimized version of the user interface presented in the seconddisplay region may provide a full set of functionalities formanipulating information (presented in the first display region) fromthe second display region.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 8A, in a first mode,unminimized version 800 of the user interface may be displayed in firstdisplay region 808 (e.g., corresponding to first display region 610having predefined boundaries). In FIG. 8D, in a second mode, unminimizedversion 800 of the user interface may be displayed in second displayregion 810 (e.g., included in peripheral region 618), outside thepredefined boundaries of first display region 610 while minimizedversion 802 of the user interface may be displayed in first displayregion 808 (e.g., corresponding to first display region 610), forexample, as a top bar of window 606 offering a subset of functionalitiesfor manipulating information 604.

In some embodiments, activation of a particular UI element in the firstmode causes a predetermined action within the predefined boundaries, andactivation of the particular UI element in the second mode causes thepredetermined action outside the predefined boundaries. A UI element mayrefer to a graphically displayed item (e.g., a button, textbox, radiobutton, drop-down menu, application icon, or tab) configured tointerface between a user and a software application by receiving aninput from a user and/or presenting an output to a user. A particular UIelement may refer to a selected one of multiple available UI elements.Activation of a UI element may involve providing an input via a UIelement to trigger execution of an associated function (e.g., via anevent listener). Inputs that may be provided via a UI element mayinclude text entered via a keyboard device, a click event entered usingan electronic pointing device (e.g., mouse or stylus) or touch sensitivescreen, or any other type of user input. For example, clicking a “Paste”UI element may insert data stored in temporary memory (e.g., aclipboard) into a document, and clicking a “Save” UI element may causechanges to the document to be written to disk. Activating a particularUI element (e.g., interacting with the UI element) in the first mode mayinvoke execution of a function inside the first display region, whereasactivating a particular UI element in the second mode may invokeexecution of the function inside the second display region. Forinstance, in the first mode, clicking a “Share” UI element to send adocument to another user may open an email client inside the firstdisplay region. In the second mode, clicking a “Share” UI element mayopen an email client inside the second display region.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A (e.g., the first mode),selecting “New Window” element 614 (e.g., activating a particular UIelement) may display a second copy 604A of information 604 on electronicscreen 610 (e.g., causing a predetermined action within the predefinedboundaries of the first display region). In FIG. 6B (e.g., the secondmode) selecting “New Window” element 614 may present second copy 604A ofinformation 604 in peripheral region 618, outside the predefinedboundaries of electronic screen 610 (e.g., causing the predeterminedaction outside the predefined boundaries of the first display region).

In some embodiments, activation of a particular UI element in the firstmode causes a first action, and activation of the particular UI elementin the second mode causes a second action different from the firstaction. An action may refer to an implementation (or result or outcome)of an execution of one or more software instructions, e.g., invoked byinteracting with a UI element. For instance, interacting with a UIelement in the first mode may invoke execution of a first function andinteracting with the UI element in the second mode may invoke executionof a second function including at least some instructions that differfrom the first function. Executing the second function may produce adifferent outcome than executing the first function (e.g., by displayinginformation differently, in a different location and/or using adifferent device, according to a different size, resolution, style,transparency, opacity, or any other display characteristic.)

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, selecting “New Window”element 614 presents copy 604A behind information 604, such that atleast a portion of copy 604A is obstructed from view by information 604.In FIG. 6B, selecting “New Window” UI element 614 presents copy 604A inperipheral region 618, alongside information 604, such that copy 604A isnot obstructed from view. Thus, the outcome (e.g., location of copy604A) in FIG. 6B is different from the outcome (e.g., location of copy604A) in FIG. 6A.

Some embodiments involve providing an additional control for presentinga minimized version of the user interface in the first display region orin the second display region. An additional control may refer to asecond control distinct from a control (e.g., the original control)configured to allow toggling the display of the user interface in thefirst and second modes. For example, a user interface may include acircumflex character (e.g., “A”) to minimize a user interface, and mayinclude clickable menu items (e.g., “File” and “Home”) to unminimize theminimized user interface.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIGS. 8A-8B and 8D illustrate anadditional control 806 to minimize unminimized version 800 of the userinterface such that minimized version 802 of the user interface replacesunminimized version 800. Control 806 may be presented in second displayregion 810 (shown in FIGS. 8B and 8D) and/or in first display region 808(as shown in FIG. 8A).

In some embodiments, the input is received from an image sensorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance. An image sensormay refer to a device configured to sense light (e.g., visible light,infrared light, UV light, radio waves, or any other wavelengths ofelectromagnetic radiation) for capturing an image (e.g., a photograph)as an array of pixels. In some embodiments, an image sensor may includea camera. In some embodiments, an image sensor may also include atransmitter to transmit the captured images to at least one processingdevice. An image sensor associated with a wearable extended realityappliance may include a camera configured to operate in conjunction witha wearable extended reality appliance, e.g., by transmitting one or morecaptured images to at least one processor associated with a wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., using wired and/or wirelesscommunication). For example, a camera may be mechanically connected toor may be an integral part of a wearable extended reality appliance forcapturing images of user inputs (e.g., displayed on an electronicscreen). As another example, a camera may be positioned in the vicinityof (e.g., but mechanically disconnected from) a wearable extendedreality appliance. Inputs received from an image sensor may includegestures (e.g., hand, arm, body, head, and/or facial gestures), and/ordigital content displayed on an electronic display, digital contentprojected on a physical object (e.g., a wall), or any other image datathat may be received from a user. Some embodiments involve analyzingimage data from the image sensor to identify a gesture initiated by auser of the wearable extended reality appliance for moving the userinterface to a position beyond the predefined boundaries of the firstdisplay region. Analyzing may include one or more of comparing,measuring, querying, sorting, correlating, smoothing, filtering, and/orperforming any other type logical and/or arithmetic operations on data.Analyzing image data from an image sensor may include performing one ormore of filtering, edge detection, convolution, segmentation,compression, clustering, Fourier transform operations, machine learning,and/or any other image processing techniques on image data received froma camera. Identifying may include recognizing, e.g., to associated withsomething known. A gesture may refer to a form of non-verbalcommunication that may convey information using visible bodily motions.An image sensor may detect a gesture by capturing multiple frames (orimages) of a user performing a gesture (e.g., over a time period). Atleast one processor may analyze the frames to identify the gesture andassociate the gesture with a corresponding action. A gesture initiatedby a user may refer to a predefined bodily motion performed by a user,e.g., in range of an image sensor, in order to invoke a correspondingaction. At least one processing device may receive a gesture input asmultiple sequential frames or images from image sensor, where thesequential frames may collectively capture a user performing a gesture.The at least one processor may analyze the sequential frames to identifythe gesture and may invoke a corresponding action in response. A gesturefor moving a user interface may refer to a predefined bodily motion,that when detected by at least one processor, may invoke an action tochange a location for presenting a user interface. For example, a cameramay capture sequential frames of a user pointing at a control with anindex finger and moving the index finger in an upwards sweeping motion.At least one processor may receive and analyze the sequential frames todetect a gesture associated with presenting a user interface in thesecond display region (e.g., beyond the boundaries of the first displayregion). In response to identifying the gesture, the at least oneprocessor may present the user interface in the second display regionlocated above the first display region, as described earlier.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, wearable extended realityappliance 608 includes a camera 626 for detecting hand gestures of user602 as an input for toggling between the first and second modes.

In some embodiments, the input is received from a pointer associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance. A pointer may refer to anelectronic device configured to target, focus on, or select an object(e.g., a digital object). Examples of pointers may include an electronicmouse, a stylus, a finger on a touch sensitive screen, a joystick, atrackball, or any other type of pointing device. A pointer associatedwith a wearable extended reality appliance may refer to an electronicpointing device configured to communicate with at least one processorassociated with a wearable extended reality appliance. Receiving aninput from a pointer may include detecting a pointing or selection eventby an electronic pointing device and sending an indication of thepointing or selection to at least one processor. For instance, a usermay use an electronic mouse (e.g., a pointer) to click on a control(e.g., a UI element) for toggling a mode for presenting a userinterface. The electronic mouse may communicate the click event to atleast one processor which may toggle the mode for the user interface inresponse. In some embodiments, the operations further include analyzingthe input from the pointer to determine a cursor drag-and-drop movementof the user interface to a position beyond the predefined boundaries ofthe first display region. A cursor may refer to a moveable graphicindicator displayed on an electronic display showing a current positionfor interacting with a user via a pointing or keyboard device, e.g.,where typed text may be entered and/or how a click event may beregistered. A drag-and-drop movement may refer to a gesture implementedwith a pointing device to maneuver a graphic element displayed on anelectronic display. A user may implement a drag-and-drop by maneuveringa pointing device to position a cursor on an element, pressing a buttonof the pointing device while the cursor is positioned on the element(e.g., “grabbing” the element), moving the pointing device whilepressing the button to cause a corresponding movement on the element,and releasing (e.g., “dropping”) the button to position the element at anew position.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 6A shows an electronic mouse 628(e.g., a pointing device) associated with wearable extended realityappliance 608. In one implementation, user 602 may use electronic mouse628 to click on control button 622 to toggle between the first mode(e.g., corresponding to FIG. 6A) and the second mode (e.g.,corresponding to FIG. 6B). In another implementation, user 602 may useelectronic mouse 628 to drag-and-drop user interface 612 to an edge ofelectronic screen 610, thereby moving user interface 612 beyond thepredefined boundaries of electronic screen 610.

In some embodiments, the wearable extended reality appliance is pairedwith a physical keyboard, the keyboard enables insertion of textualcontent to the information, and the input is received from the keyboard.A keyboard may refer to a textual input device (e.g., keyboard 104), asdescribed earlier. A physical keyboard may refer to a tangible,mechanical keyboard. Pairing devices may refer to establishing wirelesscommunication between two devices (e.g., using a Bluetooth protocol) byhaving each device find and identify the other device by broadcastingand detecting a signal. Pairing a wearable extended reality appliancewith a keyboard may involve each of the keyboard and the wearableextended reality appliance broadcasting and detecting a pairing signalto identify the other device, and establishing a communications protocolthere between (e.g., a wireless protocol such as Bluetooth). Textualcontent may refer to information encoded as words formed by characterstrings. Inserting textual content to information may involve pressingselected keys of a keyboard device to cause characters corresponding tothe selected keys to be added to the information (e.g., at a location ofa cursor). Receiving input from a keyboard may involve detectingkeystrokes on a keyboard, storing characters (e.g., bytes) associatedwith detected keystrokes in a buffer, notifying at least one processorof detected keystrokes, and adding characters stored in a buffer to afile (e.g., at a location corresponding to a cursor). For example, uponpairing a keyboard to a wearable extended reality appliance, a user mayposition a cursor in document (e.g., using an electronic mouse) and typea sequence of characters using the keyboard such that the charactersappear in the document at the position of the cursor. The pairing of thekeyboard to the wearable extended reality appliance may inform at leastone processor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance ofthe added characters. For instance, if the information is displayedvirtually via the wearable extended reality appliance, the insertedcharacters may be displayed virtually.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, keyboard 632 may be pairedwith wearable extended reality appliance 608. User 602 may insert textinto information 604 using a keyboard 632. The inserted text may bedisplayed in information 604 on electronic screen 610 at a positioncorresponding to a cursor. By way of another non-limiting example, inFIG. 7 , upon pairing keyboard 632 with wearable extended realityappliance 608, user 602 may type text using keyboard 632. The typed textmay be displayed in information 604 on virtual screen 702.

In some embodiments, in the first mode, the information in the firstdisplay region is presented at a first size, and in the second mode, theinformation in the first display region is presented at a second sizegreater than the first size. A size may refer to dimensions of anelement, e.g., measured as a number of pixels, inches, or millimeters.In some instances, a size for presenting information may be constrainedby other information displayed concurrently (e.g., in a non-overlappingmanner), such as a user interface. In the first mode, displaying theuser interface concurrently with the information in the same displayregion may limit a number of pixels that may be devoted to present otherinformation, e.g., an editable document. For example, when the userinterface occupies 20% of a window, at most 80% of the window may beavailable for presenting the document. In the second mode, displayingthe user interface in the second display region, beyond the boundariesof the first display region, may free pixels previously devoted todisplaying the user interface. Consequently, the freed pixels may beused for presenting the document in a larger format (e.g., to occupy asmuch as 100% of the window).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A (e.g., corresponding to thefirst mode), information 604 may be presented inside window 606 inelectronic screen 610 (e.g., the first display region) at a sizeallowing to concurrently display user interface 612 inside window 606.In FIG. 6B (e.g., corresponding to the second mode), user interface 612may be displayed in peripheral region 618 via wearable extended realityappliance 608, thereby freeing up some space in window 606.Consequently, information 604 may be presented inside window 606 using alarger format than in FIG. 6A.

In some embodiments, in the second mode, a volume of informationpresented in the first display region is greater than a volume ofinformation presented in the first mode. A volume of information mayrefer to a number of bytes of information. A greater volume ofinformation may refer to a greater number of bytes, e.g., morecharacters or lines of text. For example, moving a user interface to asecond display region in a second mode may free up space in a firstdisplay region, allowing to display a larger portion of a document(e.g., a greater volume of information) than in the first mode. Forinstance, if in the first mode, 30 lines of a text document may bepresented inside a window, moving the user interface to the seconddisplay region in the second mode may allow displaying 40 lines of thetext document inside the window (e.g., without changing a font size orzoom setting).

Some embodiments involve receiving image data captured using an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance. Imagedata may refer to sensed light encoded as pixels in a file formatsuitable for images (e.g., bitmap, PDF, PNG, JPEG, GIF). An image sensorassociated with a wearable extended reality appliance may refer to acamera configured to operate in conjunction with a wearable extendedreality appliance, as described earlier, e.g., by communicating with atleast one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance. Receiving image data captured using an image sensor mayinclude one or more of detecting an image sensor, establishingcommunication with an image sensor (e.g., wired and/or wirelesscommunication), and/or receiving one or more image files from an imagesensor. Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data to detect aphysical object. A physical object may refer to matter contained withinan identifiable volume, as described earlier. Examples of a physicalobject may include a wall, desk, or pen. Analyzing image data to detecta physical object may include applying one or more image processingtechniques to image data to identify an object, as described earlier.For example, the image data may be analyzed using an object detectionalgorithm and/or using a machine learning model to detect the physicalobject. In another example, a convolution of at least part of the imagedata may be calculated to obtain a result value. Further, the detectionof the physical object may be based on the result value. For example,when the result value is one numerical value, one physical object may bedetected, and when the result value is another numerical value, adifferent physical object may be detected. Some embodiments involve,based on the detected physical object, selecting a position outside thepredefined boundaries of the first display region for the presentationof the user interface in the second mode; and in the second mode,enabling interaction with the user interface through interaction withthe physical object. Enabling interaction with the user interfacethrough interaction with the physical object may include one or more ofidentifying a physical object, associating a physical object for userinteractions, detecting an interaction with a physical object, and/orperforming an action in response to an interaction with a physicalobject. For example, a user may use a conventional pen (e.g., lackingelectronic components) to point to a virtual UI element. A camera maycapture one or more images of the pen pointing in the direction of thevirtual UI element and transmit the images to at least one processor foranalysis. The at least one processor may associate the pointing actionof the pen with a request to invoke a function associated with thevirtual UI element, thereby enabling interaction with the user interfacethrough interaction with a physical object.

In some embodiments, image data captured using an image sensorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may be received,for example as described above. Further, the image data may be analyzedto determine suitability of the physical environment of the wearableextended reality appliance to the second mode. For example, anenvironment with high level of movements (e.g., above a selectedthreshold) may be unsuitable for the second mode, and/or an environmentwith a low level of movements (e.g., below a selected threshold) may besuitable for the second mode. The image data may be analyzed using avisual motion detection algorithm to determine the level of movements.In another example, an environment with high illumination level (e.g.,above a selected threshold) may be unsuitable for the second mode,and/or an environment with a low illumination level movements (e.g.,below a selected threshold) may be suitable for the second mode. In yetanother example, an environment including people in a selected regionmay be unsuitable for the second mode, and/or an environment with noperson in the selected region may be suitable for the second mode. Inone example, the image data may be analyzed using a person detectionalgorithm to determine whether people are present in the suitable forthe second mode. In some example, a machine learning model may betrained using training examples to determine suitability of physicalenvironments from images and/or videos. An example of such trainingexample may include a sample image of a sample physical environment,together with a label indicating whether the sample physical environmentis suitable for the second mode. The received image data may be analyzedusing the trained machine learning model to determine the suitability ofthe physical environment of the wearable extended reality appliance tothe second mode. In some examples, a convolution of at least part of theimage data may be calculated to obtain a result value. Further, when theresult value is one numerical value, it may be determined that thephysical environment is suitable for the second mode, and when theresult value is another numerical value, it may be determined that thephysical environment is unsuitable for the second mode. In someexamples, when the physical environment is unsuitable for the secondmode, the control for altering the location of the user interface may behidden (for example, removed from the user interface, not displayed,displayed as unavailable, and so forth). In other examples, when thephysical environment is unsuitable for the second mode and the userattempts to use the control for altering the location of the userinterface, a notification may be provided (for example, a visualnotification may be provided via a physical display screen and/or viathe wearable extended reality appliance, an audible notification may beprovided via an audio speaker, and so forth), and/or the toggling to thesecond mode may be avoided.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 6A, camera 626 configured withwearable extended reality appliance 608 may capture an image of a viewseen by user 602. At least one processor (e.g., processing device 460)may receive and analyze the image to detect a wall 630 (e.g., a physicalobject) behind electronic screen 610. Based on detecting wall 630, atleast one processor (e.g., processing device 460) may select a positionon wall 630, outside the predefined boundaries of window 606 andelectronic screen 610 for presenting user interface 612 in the secondmode. In FIG. 6B, in the second mode, user 602 may interact with wall630 to thereby interact with user interface 612.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of example process 900 for enabling userinterface display mode toggling, consistent with embodiments of thepresent disclosure. In some embodiments, process 900 may be performed byat least one processor (e.g., processing device 460) to performoperations or functions described herein. In some embodiments, someaspects of process 900 may be implemented as software (e.g., programcodes or instructions) that are stored in a memory (e.g., memory device411 of extended reality unit 204, shown in FIG. 4 ) or a non-transitorycomputer readable medium. In some embodiments, some aspects of process900 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., a specific-purpose circuit).In some embodiments, process 900 may be implemented as a combination ofsoftware and hardware.

Referring to FIG. 9 , process 900 may include a step 902 of presentinginformation in a first display region, the first display region havingpredefined boundaries, wherein the information is manipulatable via auser interface presentable in the first display region. Process 900 mayinclude a step 904 of presenting, via a wearable extended realityappliance, a second display region beyond the predefined boundaries ofthe first display region, wherein the second display region is visiblevia the wearable extended reality appliance. Process 900 may include astep 906 of providing a control for altering a location of the userinterface, wherein in a first mode, the user interface is presented inthe first display region while the information is presented in the firstdisplay region and in a second mode, the user interface is presented inthe second display region outside the predefined boundaries of the firstdisplay region while the information is presented in the first displayregion. Process 900 may include a step 908 of enabling toggling betweenthe first mode and the second mode via the control.

Some embodiments involve a system for enabling user interface displaymode toggling. The system may include at least one processing deviceconfigured to: present information in a first display region, the firstdisplay region having predefined boundaries, wherein the information ismanipulatable via a user interface presentable in the first displayregion; present, via a wearable extended reality appliance, a seconddisplay region beyond the predefined boundaries of the first displayregion, wherein the second display region is visible via the wearableextended reality appliance; provide a control for altering a location ofthe user interface, wherein in a first mode, the user interface ispresented in the first display region while the information is presentedin the first display region and in the second mode, the user interfaceis presented in a second display region outside the predefinedboundaries of the first display region while the information ispresented in the first display region; and enable toggling between thefirst mode and the second mode via the control.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIGS. 6A-6B, taken together,illustrate a system 600 including at least one processor (e.g.,processing device 460) configured to present information 604 in a firstdisplay region (e.g., window 606 on electronic screen 610), the firstdisplay region having predefined boundaries (e.g., corresponding to thedimensions of electronic screen 610). Information 604 may bemanipulatable via user interface 612 presented in the first displayregion. The at least one processor may present, via wearable extendedreality appliance 608, a second display region (e.g., peripheral region618) beyond the predefined boundaries of the first display region (e.g.,beyond the predefined of electronic screen 610). The second displayregion (e.g., peripheral region 618) may be visible to user 602 viawearable extended reality appliance 608. The at least one processor mayprovide a control button 622 for altering a location of user interface612. In a first mode (e.g., illustrated in FIG. 6A), user interface 612may be presented in the first display region (e.g., inside window 606 ofelectronic screen 610) while information 604 is presented in the firstdisplay region. In the second mode, (e.g., illustrated in FIG. 6A), userinterface 612 may be presented in a second display region (e.g.,peripheral region 618) outside the predefined boundaries of the firstdisplay region while information 604 is presented in the first displayregion. The at least one processor may enable toggling between the firstmode and the second mode via control button 622.

As locations of a wearable extended reality appliance change,preferences regarding the types of content a user of a wearable extendedreality appliance may prefer to view may also change, for example due tothe change in location. Systems, methods, and computer program productsare provided, allowing for application of different rules in differentlocations for displaying different types of content via a wearableextended reality appliance.

In some embodiments, operations may be performed for enablinglocation-based virtual content. An indication of an initial location ofa particular wearable extended reality appliance may be received. Afirst lookup may be performed in a repository for a match between theinitial location and a first extended reality display rule associatingthe particular wearable extended reality appliance with the initiallocation, where the first extended reality display rule permits a firsttype of content display in the initial location and prevents a secondtype of content display in the initial location. The first extendedreality display rule may be implemented to thereby enable firstinstances of the first type of content to be displayed at the initiallocation via the particular wearable extended reality appliance whilepreventing second instances of the second type of content from beingdisplayed at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance. An indication of a subsequent location of theparticular wearable extended reality appliance may be received. A secondlookup may be performed in the repository for a match between thesubsequent location and a second extended reality display ruleassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with thesubsequent location, where the second extended reality display ruleprevents the first type of content display in the subsequent locationand permits the second type of content display in the subsequentlocation. The second extended reality display rule may be implemented toenable third instances of the second type of content to be displayed atthe subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance while preventing fourth instances of the first type of contentfrom being displayed at the subsequent location via the particularwearable extended reality appliance

In some instances, the description that follows may refer to FIGS. 10 to14 , which taken together, illustrate exemplary implementations forenabling location-based virtual content, consistent with some disclosedembodiments. FIGS. 10 to 14 are intended merely to facilitateconceptualization of one exemplary implementation for performingoperations for operating a wearable extended reality appliance and donot limit the disclosure to any particular implementation.

Some embodiments involve a non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for enablinglocation-based virtual content. A non-transitory computer-readablemedium may be understood as described elsewhere in this disclosure. Acomputer readable medium containing instructions may refer to such amedium including program code instructions stored thereon, for exampleto be executed by a computer processor. The instructions may be writtenin any type of computer programming language, such as an interpretivelanguage (e.g., scripting languages such as HTML and JavaScript), aprocedural or functional language (e.g., C or Pascal that may becompiled for converting to executable code), object-oriented programminglanguage (e.g., Java or Python), logical programming language (e.g.,Prolog or Answer Set Programming), and/or any other programminglanguage. In some embodiments, the instructions may implement methodsassociated with machine learning, deep learning, artificialintelligence, digital image processing, optimization algorithms, and/orany other computer processing technique. At least one processor mayinclude one or more processing devices as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure (e.g., processing device 460 of FIG. 4 ). Instructionsexecuted by at least one processor may include implementing one or moreprogram code instructions in hardware, in software (including in one ormore signal processing and/or application specific integrated circuits),in firmware, or in any combination thereof, as described elsewhere inthis disclosure. Causing a processor to perform operations may involvecausing the processor to calculate, execute, or otherwise implement oneor more arithmetic, mathematics, logic, reasoning, or inference steps,for example by a computing processor. Enabling may include allowing orpermitting an implementation or instance, e.g., of a software codeexecution by at least one processor.

Content may refer to data or media, e.g., formatted according to adistinct specification for presenting information via an interface of anelectronic device. Content may include any combination of data formattedas text, image, audio, video, haptic, and any other data type forconveying information to a user. Virtual content may refer tosynthesized content that may exist wholly within the context of one ormore processing devices, for example within an extended realityenvironment. Virtual content may be distinguished from physical orreal-world content that may exist or be generated independent of aprocessing device. For example, voice data for a synthesized digitalavatar may be virtual content, whereas a recorded voice message of ahuman user may be associated with physical, real-world (e.g.,non-virtual) content. By way of another example, virtual content may bea synthesized image, in contrast to a real-world image. In someembodiments, virtual content may include digital content projected by awearable electronic display (e.g., integrated with a wearable extendedreality appliance) for exclusive viewing by a user wearing the wearableelectronic display. In some embodiments, virtual content may includedigital content displayed to appear as though embedded within thephysical (e.g., real) environment surrounding a user. In someembodiments, a display area for virtual content may be constrained by afield of view (FOV) of a user wearing a wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., to contrast with a non-virtual rendition of digitalcontent constrained by a size of an electronic screen).

Location-based virtual content may refer to virtual content associatedwith a bearing or position (e.g., a geo-position) of a user wearing awearable extended reality appliance. An association of virtual contentwith a location (e.g., bearing or geo-position) may include anassociation based on a region (e.g., determining a language forpresenting textual virtual content), a context (e.g., outdoors vsindoors, leisure or home vs work, public vs private locations), lightingconditions at a location (e.g., affecting illumination and saturationsettings for displaying virtual content), a location type (e.g., acommercial establishment vs a public facility, such as a governmentbuilding or hospital), safety regulations (e.g., to prevent distractinga user performing a critical task, such as driving or crossing astreet), incentives to display promotional content (e.g., accessing aservice at a location in exchange for viewing an advertisement), one ormore user preferences, or any other criterion associating virtualcontent with a location. For example, a digital map guiding a userthrough a hospital may be relevant only to locations within thehospital. As another example, a user may prefer to block advertisingcontent while driving but may wish to view advertising content whileshopping in a supermarket. As a further example, a first user may preferviewing personal notifications at work whereas a second user may preferblocking personal notifications at work.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication of an initial locationof a particular wearable extended reality appliance. A wearable extendedreality appliance may refer to a head-mounted device, for example, smartglasses, smart contact lens, headsets or any other device worn by ahuman for purposes of presenting an extended reality to the human, asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. A particular wearable extendedreality appliance may refer to an individual or specific (e.g., uniquelyidentifiable) wearable extended reality appliance, e.g., associated withan individual user, context, use case, and/or user account. In someembodiments, a particular wearable extended reality appliance may beassociated with a unique identifier allowing at least one processor toaccess data associated with the particular wearable extended realityappliance by submitting a query including the unique identifier. Alocation may refer to a place or position. A location of an electronicdevice (e.g., of a particular wearable extended reality appliance) mayrefer to a position of an electronic device relative to one or moresensors (e.g., a cellular tower, a Wi-Fi and/or BlueTooth antenna, acamera, a LIDAR detector, a radar detector, and/or an ultrasounddetector) and/or relative to the Earth (e.g., latitude and longitudecoordinates). In some embodiments, a location may refer to a specificpoint (e.g., measured with reference to a coordinate system). In someembodiments, a location may include a locus of points within apredefined distance from a specific point. For example, a location of anelectronic device may include a plurality of points within communicationdistance of a sensor capable of detecting the electronic device. Initialmay refer to any instance that occurs prior to a subsequent instance. Aninitial location may refer to a specific location at which a user may bepositioned prior to moving from the initial location to arrive at asubsequent location.

An indication may refer to a sign or signal containing information orevidence of something. An indication of an initial location may includeany combination of signals associated with a GPS, cellular, Wi-Fi,and/or BlueTooth network, a motion sensor (an IMU and/or radar), acamera and/or LIDAR detector, an ultrasonic tracking device, and/or anyother signal emitted from a sensor configured to detect a location of anelectronic device.

Receiving may refer to accepting delivery of, acquiring, retrieving,generating, obtaining or otherwise gaining access to. For example,information or data may be received in a manner that is detectable by orunderstandable to a processor. The data may be received via acommunications channel, such as a wired channel (e.g., cable, fiber)and/or wireless channel (e.g., radio, cellular, optical, IR). The datamay be received as individual packets or as a continuous stream of data.The data may be received synchronously, e.g., by periodically polling amemory buffer, queue or stack, or asynchronously, e.g., via an interruptevent. For example, the data may be received from an input device orsensor configured with input unit 202 (FIG. 1 ), from mobilecommunications device 206, from remote processing unit 208, or from anyother local and/or remote source, and the data may be received bywearable extended reality appliance 110, mobile communications device206, remote processing unit 208, or any other local and/or remotecomputing device. In some examples, the data may be received from amemory unit, may be received from an external device, may be generatedbased on other information (for example, generated using a renderingalgorithm based on at least one of geometrical information, textureinformation or textual information), and so forth. Receiving anindication of an initial location of a particular wearable extendedreality appliance may include performing one or more operations. Suchoperations may include, for example, identifying a particular wearableextended reality appliance, identifying at least one location sensor,and/or establishing a communications link between a particular wearableextended reality appliance and at least one sensor. Such operations mayadditionally include communicating at least one initial location signal(e.g., an indication of an initial location) between a particularwearable extended reality appliance and a location sensor (e.g.,including transmitting an initial location signal from a particularwearable extended reality appliance to a location sensor and/orreceiving an initial location signal by at least one processorassociated with a particular wearable extended reality appliance from alocation sensor). Such operations may further include using at least onelocation signal associated with a wearable to determine an initiallocation for a particular wearable extended reality appliance.

For example, a remote processing unit (e.g., server 210) may receivefrom a wearable extended reality appliance digital signals indicating aGPS-based location of the wearable extended reality appliance. Asanother example, a remote processing unit may receive a combination ofWi-Fi signals indicating a proximity of a wearable extended realityappliance to a Wi-Fi beacon together with image data acquired by acamera, which may be processed to determine a more precise location ofthe wearable extended reality appliance relative to the Wi-Fi beacon.For instance, based on the received data, a remote processing unit maydetermine that a user wearing a wearable extended reality appliance hasentered an establishment, such as a restaurant, supermarket, orhospital. As a further example, at least one processor (e.g., associatedwith a particular wearable extended reality appliance) may receive imagedata from a camera positioned in proximity to the particular wearableextended reality appliance as an indication of a location. In oneexample, the wearable extended reality appliance may include apositioning sensor, such as a GPS sensor or an indoor positioningsensor, and the indication of a location of the wearable extendedreality appliance (such as the initial location or the subsequentlocation) may be based on information captured using the positioningsensor included in the wearable extended reality appliance. In anotherexample, the wearable extended reality appliance may include a motionsensor, such as an inertial measurement unit or an accelerometer, anddata captured using the motion sensor included in the wearable extendedreality appliance may be analyzed to determine motion of the wearableextended reality appliance from an original location, therebydetermining a new location of the wearable extended reality appliance(such as the initial location or the subsequent location), and theindication of a location (such as the initial location or the subsequentlocation) may be based on information captured using the motion sensorincluded in the wearable extended reality appliance. In yet anotherexample, the wearable extended reality appliance may include an imagesensor, and image data captured using the image sensor included in thewearable extended reality appliance may be analyzed to determine alocation of the wearable extended reality appliance (such as the initiallocation or the subsequent location), and the indication of a location(such as the initial location or the subsequent location) may be basedon the analysis of the image data. For example, the image data may beanalyzed using an ego-motion algorithm to determine motion of thewearable extended reality appliance, and the determined motion may beused to determine the location of the wearable extended realityappliance as described above in relation to the information capturedusing the motion sensor. In another example, the image data may beanalyzed using a scene-classification algorithm to determine thelocation of the wearable extended reality appliance (such as the initiallocation or the subsequent location). For example, the sceneclassification may determine that the wearable extended realityappliance is in a coffee house, and the location may be the category oflocations corresponding to the coffee house. In another example, thescene classification may determine that the wearable extended realityappliance is in a specific coffee house, and the location may be thespecific coffee house. In some examples, a machine learning model may betrained using training examples to determine locations from imagesand/or videos. An example of such training example may include a sampleimage data, together with a label indicating a sample locationassociated with the sample image data. The machine learning model may beused to analyze the image data captured using the image sensor includedin the wearable extended reality appliance to determine a location ofthe wearable extended reality appliance (such as the initial location orthe subsequent location). In some examples, a convolution of the imagedata captured using the image sensor included in the wearable extendedreality appliance may be calculated to determine a result value, and alocation of the wearable extended reality appliance (such as the initiallocation or the subsequent location) may be determined based on theresult value. For example, when the result value is a first numericalvalue, the location may be determined to be a first location, and whenthe result value is a second numerical value, the location may bedetermined to be a second location. The second location may differ fromthe first location.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 10illustrating an exemplary system 1000 for enabling location-basedvirtual content at an initial location 1002, consistent with embodimentsof the present disclosure. System 1000 includes a user 1004 wearing awearable extended reality appliance 1006 (e.g., a pair of smart glasses)at initial location 1002 (e.g., a restaurant). A Wi-Fi beacon 1008positioned at initial location 1002 may establish a Wi-Fi communicationlink with wearable extended reality appliance 1006 (e.g., via networkinterface 420) and may transmit an indication of the Wi-Fi communicationlink to a computing device (e.g., server 210) indicating that wearableextended reality appliance 1006 is within a Wi-Fi communication distanceof Wi-Fi beacon 1008 at initial location 1002.

Some embodiments involve performing a first lookup in a repository for amatch between the initial location and a first extended reality displayrule associating the particular wearable extended reality appliance withthe initial location. A repository may refer to a storage mediumconfigured to store data in digital form, and may include a database, adata center, and/or a distributed computing environment associated withone or more servers (e.g., cloud servers), such as data structure 212associated with server 210. Data may be stored in a repository insideone or more data structures, such as tables, arrays, lists (e.g., linkedlists), hierarchies (e.g., trees), graphs, ontologies, objects, classes,and/or any other type of structure for storing data. Information storedin a repository may be accessed by searching an index associated withthe repository, by traversing (e.g., crawling) a graph or networkassociated with the repository, by applying one or more inference,extrapolation, interpolation, and/or estimation techniques, and/or usingany other searching method. A lookup may include a query or searchoperation. In some embodiments, a lookup may include querying an indexstoring key-value pairs such that finding a match for a queried keyallows retrieving a corresponding value. For example, performing alookup with a unique user identifier may allow retrieving a user profileassociated with the unique user identifier. A lookup in a repository mayinclude a request to access data stored in a repository, e.g., todetermine if an instance of a specific data item or items exist in arepository. A lookup in a repository may be formulated as a query, suchas a structured query (e.g., formulated for a structured or relationaldatabase, such as using SQL) and/or an unstructured query (e.g.,formulated for a non-relational, semantic, or ontological database). Amatch between two data items may refer to a determination of similaritybetween two data items (e.g., based on a distance measure). In someembodiments, a match between two data items may include determiningidenticality between two data items (e.g., when comparing securitycredentials). In some embodiments, a match between two data items mayinclude determining that a distance (e.g., an information distance)between two data items falls within a predefined threshold (e.g.,measured as a least squares distance, k-means clustering, Manhattandistance, Murkowski distance, Euclidian distance, Hamming distance,and/or any other type of distance measure), for example in an artificialintelligence context.

An extended reality display rule may refer to one or more guidelinesand/or criteria for displaying content via an extended realityappliance, e.g., specifying a type of content that may be displayed,when content may be displayed, and/or how content may be displayed. Forinstance, one or more extended reality display rules may specify acontext for displaying certain types of content and/or for blocking adisplay of certain types of content display. As another example, one ormore extended reality display rules may define display characteristics(e.g., color, format, size, transparency, opacity, style) for displayingcontent in different types of situations. An extended reality displayrule associating a particular wearable extended reality appliance with alocation may include one or more criteria specifying what, when, and howdata may be displayed based on a location of a wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., based on one or more user-defined, device-specific,and/or default settings). For instance, information may be associatedwith a specific location based on a particular context, use case, userpreference, default setting, and/or relevance. To prevent unwanteddistractions, a display rule for a specific location may limit thedisplay of content via a wearable extended reality appliance, e.g., toonly display content that is relevant to the particular context or usecase. Performing a lookup in a repository for a match between a locationand an extended reality display rule associating a wearable extendedreality appliance with the location may include performing one or moreoperations. For example such operations may include determining a uniqueidentifier for a user and/or a wearable extended reality appliance,identifying a location of a wearable extended reality appliance, and/oraccessing a repository storing multiple extended reality display rules.Such operation may additionally include determining a data structuretype associated with a repository, determining a query language forquerying data stored in a repository, and/or formulating a query for alocation. Such operations may further include submitting a query for alocation to a repository storing one or more extended reality displayrules, and/or matching a queried location to one or more extendedreality display rules. Such operations may additionally includedetermining that one or more extended reality display rules matching aqueried location associate a wearable extended reality appliance with alocation (e.g., the queried location), and/or receiving one or moreextended reality display rules associating a wearable extended realityappliance with a location.

For example, a first extended reality display rule associating awearable extended reality appliance with a street intersection may blockcontent unrelated to assisting a user in crossing the street. Uponreceiving an indication that a user wearing a wearable extended realityappliance is at an intersection, at least one processor may query arepository for the intersection location to obtain the first extendedreality display rule. As another example, a second extended realitydisplay rule associating a wearable extended reality appliance with ashopping mall may allow displaying promotional content in the shoppingmall. Upon receiving an indication of a Wi-Fi connection between thewearable extended reality appliance and a Wi-Fi beacon in the shoppingmall, at least one processor may query a repository for the shoppingmall location to retrieve the second extended reality display rule.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , at least one processorassociated with wearable extended reality appliance 1006 may perform afirst lookup in data structure 212 for a match between initial location1002 and a first extended reality display rule associating wearableextended reality appliance 1006 with initial location 1002. For example,the first extended reality display rule may allow displaying a menu 1010presenting food items offered at initial location 1002 and may blockdisplay of other content unassociated with initial location 1002.

In some embodiments, the first extended reality display rule permits afirst type of content display in the initial location and prevents asecond type of content display in the initial location. A type ofcontent may refer to one or more of a category for content (e.g., email,messaging, news, promotional, navigation, weather, time, calendar), acontent format (e g, image, text, video, audio), a content size (e.g., anumber of bytes and/or a percent of a field of view occupied bydisplaying content), an amount of content (e.g., how many differentobjects or elements to be displayed), an association of content (e.g.,an institution or establishment associated with content), one or moredisplay characteristics for content (e.g., style, color, saturation,hue, shade, transparency, opacity), and/or any other attributecharacterizing content. Permit may refer to allow or enable. A rulepermitting a type of content display in a location may involve at leastone criterion designating a type of content that may be displayed via awearable extended reality appliance while positioned at a location.Prevent may refer to prohibit or block. A rule preventing a type ofcontent display in a location may include at least one criteriondesignating a type of content that may be blocked or prevented frombeing displayed via a wearable extended reality appliance whilepositioned at a location.

For instance, a rule permitting to display a type of content via awearable extended reality appliance while positioned at a location maybe based on one or more default settings, user preferences, safetyconsiderations, lighting conditions, context, preferences of anestablishment associated with the location, other content currentlydisplayed via the wearable extended reality appliance, and/or any otherfactor that may be used to decide whether to display content at alocation. As an example, a rule associating a wearable extended realityappliance with a street intersection may only permit displaying anavigation map and warning alerts using a semi-transparent displaysetting and may block all other types of content. As another example, acommercial establishment may prefer blocking content associated withcompeting commercial establishments.

Some embodiments involve implementing the first extended reality displayrule to thereby enable first instances of the first type of content tobe displayed at the initial location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance while preventing second instances of thesecond type of content from being displayed at the initial location viathe particular wearable extended reality appliance. Implementing mayrefer to carrying out or putting into action, e.g., by at least oneprocessor. Implementing a rule may refer to enforcing one or moreconditions or constraints associated with a rule to cause conformanceand/or compliance with the rule. An instance of content may refer to adigital copy or replica of content allowing content to be stored inmultiple memory locations and/or processed by multiple processors, e.g.,simultaneously. For example, to display content stored on disk on anelectronic display, the content may be copied from the disk onto amemory buffer of the electronic display, such that the content may besimultaneously stored on disk and (e.g., an instance stored) in thememory buffer. As another example, to share an electronic file stored ona first device with a second device, a replica (e.g., an instance) ofthe electronic file may be transmitted by the first device to the seconddevice via a communications network, such that the content may besimultaneously stored in a memory of the first device and in a memory ofthe second device. Implementing the first extended reality display ruleto thereby enable first instances of the first type of content to bedisplayed at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance may involve performing one or more operations. Suchoperations may include, for example, obtaining an extended realitydisplay rule while positioned at an initial location, receiving arequest to display first content, and/or determining whether firstcontent requested for display corresponds to a first content typepermitted for display at an initial location according to an extendedreality display rule. Implementing the first extended reality rule mayalso involve obtaining an instance of the first content, displaying aninstance of the first content via a particular wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., by calculating a layout for the first content andactivating pixels according to the layout), and/or repeatedly confirmingan initial location of a particular wearable extended reality appliancewhile displaying an instance of first content when the first contentcorresponds to a first content type permitted for display at the initiallocation. Implementing the first extended reality display rule toprevent second instances of the second type of content from beingdisplayed at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance may involve performing one or more operations. Suchoperations may include, for example, receiving a request to display asecond content while a wearable extended reality appliance is at aninitial location, and/or determining whether second content correspondsto a second content type blocked from display at an initial locationaccording to an extended reality display rule. Implementing the firstextended reality display rule may also include preventing a display ofinstances of the second content via a wearable extended realityappliance positioned at an initial location, and/or repeatedlyconfirming an initial location of a particular wearable extended realityappliance while preventing display of instances of second content, whenthe second content corresponds to a second content type blocked fromdisplay at an initial location.

As an example, while at an intersection, at least one processor mayimplement a rule associating a wearable extended reality appliance withan intersection by allowing to display an instance of a navigation mapwith warning indicators (e.g., a first type of content) while blocking adisplay of promotional and social media content (e.g., a second type ofcontent).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , at least one processor(e.g., processing device 460 and/or server 210) may query data structure212 for a first rule associating wearable extended reality appliance1006 with initial location 1002 (e.g., a specific restaurant). Forexample, the first rule may specify that while user 1004 is at initiallocation 1002, content associated with initial location 1002 may bepermitted for display, whereas content for other establishments (e.g.,unrelated to initial location 1002) may be blocked. The at least oneprocessor may receive a request (e.g., from a computing deviceassociated with initial location 1002) to display menu 1010 and maydetermine that menu 1010 corresponds to a first type of contentpermitted for display at initial location 1002 according to the firstrule. The at least one processor may obtain an instance of menu 1010(e.g., from the computing device associated with initial location 1002)and may display the instance of menu 1010 via wearable extended realityappliance 1006 while positioned at initial location 1002. Upon receivinga request to display a second type of content (e.g., associated with adifferent establishment), the at least one processor may determine thatthe second type of content may be blocked from display at initiallocation 1002 according to the first rule. In response, the at least oneprocessor may block the display of the second type of content viawearable extended reality appliance 1006 while at initial location 1002,to thereby implement the first rule.

For example, reference is made to FIG. 11 illustrating an exemplarysystem 1100 for enabling location-based virtual content at a subsequentlocation 1102, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure.System 1100 is substantially similar to system 1000 with the notabledifference that user 1004 has moved from initial location 1002 tosubsequent location 1102 (e.g., a supermarket) configured with a Wi-Fibeacon 1108. A promotional coupon 1110 (e.g., second type of content)may be associated with subsequent location 1102. Returning back to FIG.10 , upon receiving a request to display promotional coupon 1110 whilewearable extended reality appliance 1006 is at initial location 1002,the at least one processor may prevent instances of promotional coupon1110 from being displayed at initial location 1002 via wearable extendedreality appliance 1006, in compliance with the first rule.

In some embodiments, the first type of content includes layers ofcontent and wherein the operations further include receiving revisionsto the first extended reality display rule in real time for selectivelyenabling content layer display at the initial location via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance. Layers of content mayrefer to transparent or semi-transparent panes, each pane associatedwith different content such that superimposing multiple layers allowscontent associated with each layer to be viewed. In some embodiments,each layer may be associated with a different content type (e.g.,images, text, background color), a different illumination or saturationlevel, or different characteristics of the content. A layer may beturned on or off to display or block content accordingly. A revision toan extended reality display rule may refer to an alteration, amendmentor modification to an existing extended reality display rule. Forexample, a revision may relax or add one or more constraints to a rule.Selectively enabling content layer display may refer to choosing whichlayer to turn on thereby choosing which content to display, and choosingwhich layer to turn off, thereby choosing which content to block frombeing displayed. Real time may refer to a response time by a computingdevice that is sufficiently brief to appear or seem to be effectivelyinstantaneous. Receiving revisions to the first extended reality displayrule in real time for selectively enabling content layer display at theinitial location via the particular wearable extended reality appliancemay include receiving an input from a user of a wearable extendedreality appliance at an initial location. The input from the user mayindicate whether a particular layer is to be turned on or off. Receivingthe revisions to the first extended reality display rule may includeanalyzing an input received from a user in real time, determining aselection of a content layer displayable via a wearable extended realityappliance, turning a content layer on in response to a selection of acontent layer, and/or turning a content layer off in response to adeselection of a content layer.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , menu 1010, food items1012, and a GUI element 1018 may each be associated with a differentcontent layer. A first extended reality display rule associatingwearable extended reality appliance 1006 with initial location 1002 maycause all three layers to be turned on, thereby displaying menu 1010,food items 1012, and GUI element 1018 concurrently. User 1004 mayperform a hand gesture to override (e.g., revise) the first rule byselecting the layer associated with GUI element 1018 to be turned off,thereby removing GUI element 1018 from display via wearable extendedreality appliance 1006 at initial location 1002. At least one processormay receive and respond to the hand gesture input in real time toimplement the revised rule by removing the display of GUI element 1018.

In some embodiments, the layers of content include at least one of avirtual facilities layer, a mapping layer, an advertising layer, acoupon layer, an information layer, or an age-restricted layer. Avirtual facility layer may refer to a layer dedicated to displaysimulated (e.g., virtual) amenities, equipment, or resources. A mappinglayer may refer to a layer dedicated to content associated withnavigation or guidance. An advertising layer may refer to a layerdedicated to promotional content, announcements, or public relations. Acoupon layer may refer to a layer dedicated to vouchers, tokens orcertificates granting a discount or special offer. An information layermay refer to a layer dedicated to updates (e.g., a weather forecast, acalendar event), news, warnings, notifications, and/or additional dataabout offered products or services. An age-restricted layer may refer toa layer dedicated to content associated with nudity, alcohol, drugs,violence, or other sensitive content.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , GUI element 1018 maybelong to a coupon layer, menu 1010 may belong to a virtual facilitylayer, and virtual food items 1012 may belong to an information layer.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication of a subsequentlocation of the particular wearable extended reality appliance.Subsequent may refer to following, ensuing, or after. For example, auser wearing a wearable extended reality appliance may leave an initiallocation at a first time and arrive at a subsequent location at a secondtime after the first time. A subsequent location may include anylocation arrived at by a user wearing a wearable extended realityappliance after leaving an initial location. Receiving an indication ofa subsequent location of a particular wearable extended realityappliance may include one or more operations similar to the operationsdescribed for receiving an indication of an initial location of theparticular wearable extended reality appliance described earlier. Forexample, at least one processor associated with a particular wearableextended reality appliance may continually receive indications updatinga location of the particular wearable extended reality appliance overtime.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , Wi-Fi beacon 1108positioned at subsequent location 1102 may detect a Wi-Fi communicationlink established with wearable extended reality appliance 1006 (e.g.,via network interface 420) at subsequent location 1102 and may transmitan indication of the Wi-Fi communication link to a computing device(e.g., server 210) indicating proximity of wearable extended realityappliance 1006 at subsequent location 1102 (e.g., within a Wi-Ficommunication distance of Wi-Fi beacon 1108).

In some embodiments, the initial location and the subsequent locationare each a location category. A location category may refer to aclassification or characterization of a location. Examples of locationcategories may include indoor versus outdoor locations, public versusprivate locations, locations associated with a particular activity(e.g., a library, sports arena, or shopping mall), locations associatedwith a particular context (e.g., a commercial establishment, agovernment office, an academic institution, a vacation compound, or amedical facility), locations associated with a specific time (e.g.,office hours, or public transportation schedules), locations associatedwith a time frame (e.g., a fleeting time frame for a mobile vehicle, oran extended time frame associated with a stationary activity), or anyother factor that may characterize a location. For instance, the initiallocation may be a university campus corresponding to the category:academic institutions (e.g., a first location category) and thesubsequent location may be a shopping mall corresponding to thecategory: commercial establishments (e.g., a second location category).The first type of content (e.g., a class schedule) may be associatedwith the first location category (e.g., academic institutions) and thesecond type of content (e.g., a promotion for an end-of-season sale) maybe associated with the second location category (e.g., commercialestablishments).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , location 1002 may be acafé categorized as a leisure venue. In FIG. 11 , location 1102 may be asupermarket categorized as a retail venue. Thus initial location 1002and subsequent location 1102 may be associated with different locationcategories.

In some embodiments, the initial location is a first specific locationand the subsequent location is a second specific location. A specificlocation may refer to a particular or uniquely identifiable location.Examples of a specific location may include a particular branch of afranchise restaurant, a particular intersection, a particular vehicle(e.g., where the wearable extended reality appliance moves with a movingvehicle and is therefore stationary relative to the moving vehicle). Forexample, the first location may be associated with a street address fora medical clinic and the second location may be associated with a streetaddress for a coffee shop.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , location 1002 may beassociated with a specific street address for a café, specific GPScoordinates, and/or a unique identifier for Wi-Fi beacon 1008. In FIG.11 , location 1102 may be associated with a specific street address fora supermarket, specific GPS coordinates, and/or a unique identifier forWi-Fi beacon 1108. Thus initial location 1002 and subsequent location1102 may be associated with different specific locations.

In some embodiments, the initial location and the subsequent locationare associated with different establishments. An establishment mayinclude a venue, a workplace, an institution, an enterprise, a building,a campus, an organization, and/or locations, structures, or itemsassociated with some type of business, leisure, or other activity.Different establishments may refer to establishments of a differingtypes (e.g., a government campus versus a private restaurant) orseparate establishments of the same type (e.g., two differentrestaurants, or two different government offices).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , location 1002 may becategorized as a leisure establishment. In FIG. 11 , location 1102 maybe associated with a retail establishment. Thus initial location 1002and subsequent location 1102 may be associated with differentestablishments.

Some embodiments involve performing a second lookup in the repositoryfor a match between the subsequent location and a second extendedreality display rule associating the particular wearable extendedreality appliance with the subsequent location. Performing a secondlookup in the repository for a match between the subsequent location anda second extended reality display rule associating the particularwearable extended reality appliance with the subsequent location mayinclude one or more operations similar to the operations describedearlier for performing the first lookup in the repository. For example,at least one processor associated with a particular wearable extendedreality appliance may query a repository for a subsequent location toretrieve a rule associating a particular wearable extended realityappliance with the subsequent location.

In some embodiments, the second extended reality display rule preventsthe first type of content display in the subsequent location and permitsthe second type of content display in the subsequent location. A secondextended reality display rule preventing a first type of content displayin a subsequent location and permitting a second type of content displayin a subsequent location may be similar to the first extended realitydisplay rule described above, where a display of content associated withthe initial location may be blocked and a display of content associatedwith the subsequent location may be allowed.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , at least one processor(e.g., associated with wearable extended reality appliance 1006) mayperform a second lookup in data structure 212 for a match betweensubsequent location 1102 and a second extended reality display ruleassociating wearable extended reality appliance 1006 with subsequentlocation 1102. For example, the second extended reality display rule maypermit displaying an instance of promotional coupon 1110 (e.g., a secondtype of content) for a product sold in subsequent location 1102 and mayprevent an instance of menu 1010 of FIG. 10 (e.g., (e.g., a first typeof content) from being displayed via wearable extended reality appliance1006 at subsequent location 1102.

Some embodiments involve implementing the second extended realitydisplay rule to enable third instances of the second type of content tobe displayed at the subsequent location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance while preventing fourth instances of thefirst type of content from being displayed at the subsequent locationvia the particular wearable extended reality appliance. Implementing thesecond extended reality display rule to enable third instances of thesecond type of content to be displayed at the subsequent location viathe particular wearable extended reality appliance while preventingfourth instances of the first type of content from being displayed atthe subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance may include one or more operations similar to the operationsdescribed earlier for implementing the first extended reality displayrule, where the first type of content may be blocked from beingdisplayed and the second type of content may be permitted for displayvia the particular wearable extended reality appliance at the subsequentlocation. For instance, at least one processor may deactivate pixelsused to display the instance of the first type of content via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance at the initial location,retrieve an instance of the second type of content (e.g., from a memorystorage associated with the subsequent location), calculate a layout fordisplaying the second type of content, and activate pixels of theparticular wearable extended reality appliance to display the instanceof the second type of content while at the subsequent location.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , at least one processor(e.g., processing device 460 and/or server 210) may query data structure212 for subsequent location 1102 (e.g., a supermarket) to retrieve asecond rule associating wearable extended reality appliance 1006 withsubsequent location 1102. For instance, the second rule may specify thatwhile user 1004 is at subsequent location 1102, content associated withsubsequent location 1102 may be permitted for display displayed, whereascontent promoting other establishments (e.g., unassociated with and/orcompeting with subsequent location 1102) may be blocked. The at leastone processor may receive a request (e.g., from a computing deviceassociated with subsequent location 1102) to display promotional coupon1110 and may determine that promotional coupon 1110 corresponds to asecond type of content permitted for display at subsequent location 1102according to the second rule. The at least one processor may obtain aninstance of promotional coupon 1110 (e.g., from a repository, forexample associated with subsequent location 1102) and may display theinstance of promotional coupon 1110 via wearable extended realityappliance 1006 at subsequent location 1102. Upon receiving a request todisplay menu 1010 (e.g., associated with initial location 1002), the atleast one processor may block menu 1010 from display at subsequentlocation 1102 according to the second rule.

In some examples, while enabling the third instances of the second typeof content to be displayed at the subsequent location via the particularwearable extended reality appliance and preventing the fourth instancesof the first type of content from being displayed at the subsequentlocation via the particular wearable extended reality appliance, anindication that a physical object (such as a person, a moving object,etc.) is entering in the environment of the subsequent location may bereceived. For example, image data captured using an image sensorincluded in the wearable extended reality appliance may be analyzed todetermine the present of the physical object, for example using a visualobject detection algorithm. Further, the second extended reality displayrule may include an exception associated with the physical object. Basedon the exception and the entrance of the physical object, the preventionof the fourth instances of the first type of content from beingdisplayed at the subsequent location via the particular wearableextended reality may be halted. In some examples, while enabling thethird instances of the second type of content to be displayed at thesubsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance and preventing the fourth instances of the first type ofcontent from being displayed at the subsequent location via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance, an indication that anoccurrence of a physical event in the environment of the subsequentlocation may be received. For example, image data captured using animage sensor included in the wearable extended reality appliance may beanalyzed to determine the occurrence of the physical event, for exampleusing a visual event detection algorithm. Further, the second extendedreality display rule may include an exception associated with thephysical event. Based on the exception and the occurrence of thephysical event, the prevention of the fourth instances of the first typeof content from being displayed at the subsequent location via theparticular wearable extended reality may be halted. In some examples,while enabling the third instances of the second type of content to bedisplayed at the subsequent location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance and preventing the fourth instances of thefirst type of content from being displayed at the subsequent locationvia the particular wearable extended reality appliance, an indicationthat a relation between two physical objects (such as people, objects,etc.) in the environment of the subsequent location has changed to aparticular type of relationship may be received. For example, image datacaptured using an image sensor included in the wearable extended realityappliance may be analyzed to determine the type of relationship betweenthe two physical objects, for example using a visual classificationalgorithm. Further, the second extended reality display rule may includean exception associated with the particular type of relationship. Basedon the exception and the change in the relationship, the prevention ofthe fourth instances of the first type of content from being displayedat the subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realitymay be halted.

In some embodiments, the first instances of the first type of contentinclude a first plurality of virtual objects, and wherein the secondinstances of the second type of content include a second plurality ofvirtual objects. An object may include an item, element, structure,building, thing, device, document, message, article, person, animal, orvehicle. A virtual object may include any one of the forgoing presentedas a simulation or synthetization. The virtual object may be presentedelectronically or digitally. Such electronic or digital presentationsmay occur in extended reality, virtual reality, augmented reality, orany other format in which objects may be presented digitally orelectronically. The presentation may occur via an electronic display(e.g., a wearable extended reality appliance), and/or as a visualpresentation of information rendered by a computer. A virtual object maybe displayed in two or three dimensions, opaquely (e.g., such that theuser may not be able to see a physical environment through the virtualobject) or at least partially transparently (e.g., allowing the user toat least partially see a physical environment through the virtualobject). Other examples of virtual objects may include virtual widgets(e.g., associated with software applications), virtual navigation maps,virtual alerts, virtual messages, virtual documents, and/or any othertype of digital content.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , while at location 1002,user 1004 may view via wearable extendible realty appliance 1006multiple virtual objects associated with initial location 1002, such asvirtual menu 1010 and corresponding virtual food items 1012. In FIG. 11, at subsequent location 1102, user 1004 may view via wearableextendible realty appliance 1006 multiple virtual objects associatedwith subsequent location 1102, such as promotional coupon 1110, avirtual guide 1112, and a virtual checkout 1114. At initial location1002, at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460 and/or server210) may block the display of promotional coupon 1110, virtual guide1112, and virtual checkout 1114 via wearable extended reality appliance1106, and at subsequent location 1102, at least one processor may blockthe display of virtual menu 1010 and virtual food items 1012.

In some embodiments, at least one of the second plurality of virtualobjects includes a location-based description of associated services. Alocation-based description may refer to explanation or characterizationof something in relation to, relevant to, or otherwise associated with alocation (e.g., a particular location, place, site, area, scene,presentation mode, or orientation). Services may include, for example,amenities, aid, support, assistance, or any other provision answeringone or more needs. Examples of services may include provision of food bya food provider, providing of medical advice and/or treatment by amedical clinic, providing of regulation advice and assistance by agovernment office, or providing a product for sale by a retailer.Associated services (e.g., for a location) may include one or moreservices relevant to, having to do with, or limited to (e.g., suppliedor provided at) a location. Location-based description of associatedservices may include content related to a service, whether the contentis an explanation, a promotion, or material related in any way to theassociated services. By way of non-limiting example, location-baseddescriptions may include content promoting available services at anearby establishment (e.g., a service station), a guide mapping outoffices in an establishment (e.g., clinics inside a hospital), or a mapof locations in an area (e.g., academic registrars in a universitycampus).

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 11 illustrates a virtual checkout1114 that may include a label “VIRTUAL CHECKOUT” with a graphicdepiction of a cash machine informing user 1004 of an option for virtualself-checkout at subsequent location 1102 (e.g., a location-baseddescription of a service associated with subsequent location 1102).Virtual checkout 1114 may be unassociated with initial location 1002 andmay therefore be included in the second plurality of virtual objectsprevented from display at first location 1002 according to the firstextended reality display rule.

In some embodiments, at least one of the second plurality of virtualobjects includes a virtual user interface for enabling purchases oflocation-based services. A purchase (e.g., purchases) may refer to anacquisition of an asset or service in exchange for payment. A userinterface or UI (e.g., a graphical user interface, or GUI) may includemultiple elements (e.g., visually displayed objects) configured toenable interactions between a user and a computing device (e.g., via anyof input devices of input unit 202 of FIG. 2 ), as described elsewherein this disclosure. A virtual user interface may refer to a UI thatallows a user to interact with a computing device without requiringdirect interactions with a physical electronic screen (e.g., via aphysical electronic device, such as a keyboard or electronic pointingdevice). An example of a virtual user interface may include agesture-enabled UI displayed via a wearable extended reality appliance,or dashboard viewable via a head-up display controllable by eye motionand/or eye gestures. A virtual user interface for enabling purchase oflocation-based services may refer to a virtual user interface allowing auser to acquire a product or service associated with a location inexchange for payment. For example, the virtual user interface maydisplay multiple offered products or services that may be added to avirtual “shopping cart” (e.g., by selecting or dragging a targetedproduct or service) and may be purchased via a digital payment platformlinked to the virtual user interface. Examples of virtual userinterfaces for enabling purchase of location-based services may includea virtual form to schedule an annual car inspection at a local servicestation, a virtual form for reserving a specific room at a specifichotel, or a virtual form to deliver groceries to a particular address.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , in addition to allowingto purchase groceries at subsequent location 1102, virtual checkout 1114may allow user 1004 to purchase a home delivery option for the purchasedgroceries (e.g., a location-based service).

In some embodiments, at least one of the second plurality of virtualobjects includes an interactive virtual object for assisting a wearer ofthe particular wearable extended reality appliance to navigate in thesubsequent location of the particular wearable extended realityappliance. Interactive may refer to a framework allowing a two-way flowof information between a computing device and a user, including arequest for information in one direction and a response to the requestin the opposite direction. An interactive virtual object may refer to avirtual object that may be responsive to one or more user inputs.Examples of interactive virtual objects may include an avatar, aninteractive virtual map, or a virtual calendar widget allowingscheduling of meetings. For instance, a user may enter an input targetedto the virtual object (e.g., as a gesture) and a software applicationassociated with the virtual object may perform a corresponding action inresponse. Assisting may include aiding or facilitating. Navigate mayinclude guide or direct, e.g., along a route. An interactive virtualobject for assisting a wearer of the particular wearable extendedreality appliance to navigate in the subsequent location of theparticular wearable extended reality appliance may include aninteractive map showing a drive route inside a neighborhood, aninteractive map of a hospital showing locations of different clinicsinside the hospital, or an interactive guide describing differentsections or aisles inside a supermarket.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , user 1004 make emit avoice command for a product (e.g., “I want olive oil”) to virtual guide1112. The voice command may be detected by a microphone (e.g., audiosensor 471) and processed by a voice recognition algorithm associatedwith wearable extended reality appliance 1006 to produce a query. The atleast one processor (e.g., processing device 460) may submit the queryto a data structure associated with subsequent location 1102 (e.g., datastructure 212) and in response, may retrieve a specific location insidesubsequent location 1102 (e.g., a shelf in an aisle storing olive oil)with navigation information associated with a path from a currentlocation of user 1104 to the specific location. The at least oneprocessor may invoke virtual guide 1112 to point user 1004 in thedirection of the specific location based on the navigation information,thereby assisting user 1004 in navigating in subsequent location 1102 inan interactive manner. In some embodiments, virtual guide 1112 may emitan audible guidance (e.g., “continue down the aisle, the olive oil is onthe left.”) via a speaker (e.g., speakers 453) to thereby interact withuser 1004 audibly.

In some embodiments, at least one of the second plurality of virtualobjects includes promoted content. Promoted content may refer to contentpresented for the purpose of advertising goods and/or services (e.g.,commercial, retail, and/or wholesale trade) or for drawing attention toa cause (e.g., a political, social, environmental, and/or religiouscause). Examples of promotional content may include a coupon for coffee,an end-of-year holiday sale, or content advocating for a politicalcandidate.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 11 , while pointing user 1004to an aisle in subsequent location 1102 carrying a requested product,virtual guide 1112 may additionally present promotional coupon 1110(e.g., promoted content) for a specific brand of the requested product.

Some embodiments involve prior to performing the first lookup and thesecond lookup, receiving parameters of the first extended realitydisplay rule and the second extended reality display rule. A parametermay refer to an attribute, a setting, and/or a variable or argument thatmay take on multiple different values. In some instances, a parametermay be a numerical quantity. In some instances, a parameter may be avalue submitted to a called function (e.g., an API). In some instances,a parameter may be associated with one or more user-defined preferences,e.g., to override a default display setting. For example, a user may seta parameter to change a display setting relating to a size, a style, atransparency level, and/or a duration for displaying content at aspecific location, e.g., via a user interface presented via a wearableextended reality appliance. In some embodiments, a parameter may beassociated with a location type (e.g., to display content differentlydepending on the type of location). For example, a parameter for adisplay rule associated with an indoor location may cause content to bedisplayed at a relatively low intensity (e.g., lower saturation and/orillumination) and a parameter for a display rule associated with anoutdoor location may cause content to be displayed at a relatively highintensity (e.g., high saturation and/or illumination). As anotherexample, a parameter for a display rule associated with a work locationmay prevent personal messages from being displayed during a scheduledwork meeting, and a parameter for a display rule associated with alocation other than a work location may allow personal messages to bedisplayed. Prior to performing the first lookup and the second lookupmay refer to a time period earlier than when the indications of theinitial location and the subsequent location are received by at leastone processor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance, forinstance, before the user wearing the wearable extended realityappliance arrives at the initial location, or at an initializing stagefor a wearable extended reality appliance (e g, immediately after thewearable extended reality appliance is powered on or reset).

Receiving parameters may include one or more of accessing a memorystorage (e.g., associated with a wearable extended reality appliance)and retrieving one or more parameters from the memory storage (e.g., inassociated with a user account), displaying a user interface allowinguser selection of one or more parameters, receiving one or moreindications of selected, modified, added, and/or removed parameters,and/or storing one or more parameters in a memory device (e.g.,associated with a wearable extended reality appliance). Parameters ofthe first extended reality display rule and the second extended realitydisplay rule may include parameters associated with one or morelocations, one or more wearable extended reality appliances, and/or oneor more users or user accounts. For example, upon switching on awearable extended reality appliance (e.g., as part of an initializationstage), at least one processor associated with a wearable extendedreality appliance may retrieve from an associated memory device one ormore user-defined parameters for subsequently applying to one or moreextended reality display rules. For example, a parameter for the firstextended reality display rule (e.g., associated with an initiallocation) may define a priority ranking for content displayed while atthe initial location, and a parameter for the second extended realitydisplay rule (e.g., associated with a subsequent location) may define apriority ranking for content displayed while at the subsequent location.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , prior to user 1004arriving at initial location 1002 (e.g., therefore prior to receiving anindication of initial location 1002 and performing a first lookup usingthe indication), at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460and/or server 210) may retrieve via database access module 417, one ormore parameters for subsequently applying to the first and secondextended reality display rules. For example, a parameter for the firstextended reality display rule may permit linking content (e.g., menu1010) with a digital payment platform when displaying menu 1010 atinitial location 1002 and a parameter for the second extended realitydisplay rule may define a size for displaying promotional content (e.g.,promotional coupon 1110) at subsequent location 1102. As anotherexample, a first parameter indicating a high priority may be received inassociation with the first extended reality display rule subsequentlycausing the instance of menu 1010 to occupy a large portion of thefield-of-view of user 1004. Similarly, a second parameter indicating alower priority may be received in association with the second extendedreality display rule subsequently causing the instance of promotionalcoupon 1110 to occupy a small portion of the field-of-view of user 1004.

In some embodiments, one or more of the parameters define locations forpermitted content display. Locations for permitted content display mayrefer to one or more regions of a viewer of a wearable extended realityappliance (e.g., corresponding to one or more pixels) that may be usedfor displaying content, e.g., as opposed to one or more regions of theviewer that must remain transparent and may be blocked from displayingcontent. For example, a user may set a parameter to automatically blockcontent from being displayed in a central portion of the field of view(FOV) of the user when crossing a street and limit the display ofcontent to peripheral portions of the FOV. In some embodiments, thereceived parameters are obtained via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance. Receiving parameters via the particular wearableextended reality appliance may include receiving one or more parametersvia a user interface presented on a particular wearable extended realityappliance, from a memory associated with a particular wearable extendedreality appliance (e.g., data structure 212, database 380, and/ordatabase 480), from a server (e.g., a cloud server) associated with aparticular wearable extended reality appliance, and/or from anotherdevice connected (e.g., paired) to a particular wearable extendedreality appliance (e.g., mobile communications device 206). Forinstance, a user wearing a particular wearable extended realityappliance may set one or more parameters using a gesture or voicecommand directed to a virtual user interface presented via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance, or alternatively via amobile device paired to particular wearable extended reality appliance.For example, upon switching on a particular wearable extended realityappliance, a user may enter one or more parameters defining wherecontent may be displayed via the particular wearable extended realityappliance at different locations. For instance, while crossing a street,a first parameter may prohibit content from being displayed at a centralregion of an FOV of the user, and while interfacing with a userinterface, a second parameter may allow content to be displayed at thecentral region of the FOV.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , a parameter received byat least one processor associated with wearable extended realityappliance 1006 prior to arriving at initial location 1002 maysubsequently cause menu 1010 to be displayed in a central region of theFOV of user 1004.

By way of another non-limiting example, reference is now made to FIG. 12illustrating an exemplary system 1200 for enabling location-basedvirtual content at another location 1202 (e.g., a new location),consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. System 1200 issubstantially similar to system 1000 with the notable difference thatuser 1004 has moved from subsequent location 1102 (e.g., a supermarket)to new location 1202 (e.g., outdoors). A parameter received by at leastone processor associated with wearable extended reality appliance 1006prior to arriving at new location 1202 may subsequently cause anavigation map 1210 to be displayed in a peripheral region of the FOV ofuser 1004 using a semi-transparent setting and may prevent display ofcontent unrelated to the activity of crossing a street.

Some embodiments involve, while the particular wearable extended realityappliance is in the initial location, receiving via the particularwearable extended reality appliance a toggle signal permitting displayof the second instances of the second type of content at the initiallocation via the particular wearable extended reality appliance. Asignal may refer to information encoded for transmitting via a physicalmedium. Examples of signals may include signals in the electromagneticradiation spectrum (e.g., AM or FM radio, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, radar,visible light, LIDAR, IR, and/or GPS signals), sound or ultrasonicsignals, electric signals (e.g., voltage, current, inductance, orcapacitance signals), electronic signals (e.g., as digital data),tactile (e.g., touch) signals, and/or any other type of informationencoded for transmission via a physical medium. A toggle signal mayrefer to a signal indicating a request to switch, change, or alternate(e.g., between different display rules). For instance, a user may submita toggle signal to a wearable extended reality appliance using an inputinterface (e.g., configured with input unit 202) to prevent blocking ofthe second type of content while positioned at the initial location. Forinstance, a GUI displayed via a wearable extended reality appliance mayinclude a virtual button, that when selected, allows alternativelydisplaying or blocking a display of the second type of content while atthe initial location.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , while at initial location1002, user 1004 may issue a voice command (e.g., “show promotions”) topermit a display of promotion coupon 1110 via wearable extended realityappliance 1006 at initial location 1002.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication of a new location ofthe particular wearable extended reality appliance; performing a thirdlookup in the repository for a match between the new location and anextended reality display rule associating the particular wearableextended reality appliance with the new location; and when no matchassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with thenew location is found, implementing a default extended reality displayrule. A new location may refer to a location different than the initialand subsequent locations. A default (e.g., value) may refer to apreexisting value of a user-configurable setting, for example a factorysetting. A default rule (e.g., a default extended reality display rule)may refer to a preexisting rule that may be applied in the absence of adifferent rule overriding the default rule. Performing a third lookup inthe repository for a match between the new location and an extendedreality display rule associating the particular wearable extendedreality appliance with the new location may include one or moreoperations similar to the operations described earlier for performingthe first and/or second lookups in the repository, after a user of theparticular wearable arrives at a new location, different than an initiallocation and a subsequent location. For example, at least one processorassociated with a particular wearable extended reality appliance mayquery a data store with the new location for a rule associating theparticular wearable extended reality appliance with the new location.When a rule associating the particular wearable extended realityappliance with the new location is not found in the data store, the atleast one processor may retrieve a default rule instead (e.g.,corresponding to a location type for the new location).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 12 , a GPS sensor (e.g.,associated with sensors interface 470) configured with wearable extendedreality appliance 1006 may transmit a GPS signal to server 210 viacommunications network 214 indicating new location 1202 (e.g., aspecific intersection). Server 210 may query data structure 212 for arule associating wearable extended reality appliance 1006 with newlocation 1202 but may not find a match. In response to not finding amatch, server 210 may implement a default rule for a standardintersection. For example, the default rule may prevent a display ofpromotional content via wearable extended reality appliance 1006 and maylimit the display of navigation map 1210 to a peripheral region of theFOV of user 1004 using a semi-transparent setting.

In some embodiments, the default extended reality display rule ispredetermined by a wearer of the particular wearable extended realityappliance. Predetermined may include defining or setting in advance. Forexample, during a setup stage for a wearable extended reality appliance,a user may define one or more extended reality display rules via a userinterface configured with the wearable extended reality appliance,and/or another associated computing device (e.g., a paired device, suchas a desktop computing device or mobile device). In some embodiments,one or more predetermined extended reality display rules may beassociated with an account associated with a user, e.g., as defaultsettings. For example, a user may define in advance a rule to preventdisplaying promotional content in selected locations, contexts, and/ortimes. As another example, a user may define in advance a rule toprevent displaying content in selected regions of an FOV of the user,e.g., while driving or crossing a street.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , prior to arriving atinitial location 1002, user 1004 may set an extended reality displayrule to block promotional content unassociated with initial location1002 from display via wearable extended reality appliance 1006 while atinitial location 1002.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication that an additionalwearable extended reality appliance is at the initial location. Anadditional wearable extended reality appliance may refer to a differentwearable extended reality appliance, e.g., associated with a differentunique device identifier, a different user, and/or a different useraccount (e.g., for the same or different user). Receiving an indicationthat an additional wearable extended reality appliance is at the initiallocation may include one or more operations similar to the operationsdescribed for receiving an indication of an initial location describedearlier, where the particular wearable extended reality appliance may bereplaced by the additional wearable extended reality appliance.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 10 illustrates a second user 1022wearing an additional wearable extended reality appliance 1014 atinitial location 1002. Wi-Fi beacon 1008 may establish a Wi-Ficommunication link with wearable extended reality appliance 1014 (e.g.,via network interface 420) and may transmit an indication of the Wi-Ficommunication link to a computing device (e.g., server 210) indicatingthat wearable extended reality appliance 1014 is within a Wi-Ficommunication distance of Wi-Fi beacon 1008 at initial location 1002.

Some embodiments involve performing a third lookup in the repository fora match between the initial location and a third extended realitydisplay rule associating the additional wearable extended realityappliance with the initial location, wherein the third extended realitydisplay rule permits the first type of content and the second type ofcontent to be displayed in the initial location. Performing a thirdlookup in the repository for a match between the initial location and athird extended reality display rule associating the additional wearableextended reality appliance with the initial location may include one ormore operations similar to the operations described earlier forperforming the first lookup in the repository, where the query may beformulated using a unique identifier for the additional wearableextended reality appliance. The third rule may allow both the first typeof content and the second type of content to be displayed at the initiallocation. For example, different users may define display rulesdifferently for a given location. Thus, a second user may define adisplay rule associating the additional wearable extended realityappliance with the initial location differently than how the first userdefined the first rule associating the particular wearable extendedreality appliance with the initial location. Some embodiments furtherinvolve implementing the third extended reality display rule to therebyenable the first instances of the first type of content and the secondinstances of the second type of content to be displayed at the initiallocation via the additional wearable extended reality appliance whilepreventing the second instances of the second type of content from beingdisplayed at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance. Implementing the third extended reality display rulemay include one or more operations similar to the operations describedearlier for implementing the first and second extended reality displayrule. For example, a computing device (e.g., a server associated with asoftware application installed on multiple wearable extended realityappliances via) may enforce different display rules simultaneously ondifferent wearable extended reality appliances, allowing different usersto customize what content may be displayed at different locations. Thus,while at an initial location, a first user may define a first rule toonly to view content associated with the initial location (e.g., permitdisplay of a first type of content) and may block content unassociatedwith the initial location (e.g., prevent display of a second type ofcontent). Simultaneously, a second user at the initial location maydefine another rule to view content associated with the initial location(e.g., permit display of the first type of content) concurrently withcontent unassociated with the initial location (e.g., permit display ofthe second type of content).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , at least one processor(e.g., server 210) may implement a third extended reality display rulefor additional wearable extended reality appliance 1014 allowing seconduser 1022 to view an instance of menu 1020 corresponding to menu 1010associated with initial location 1002 (e.g., a first type of content)together with an instance of promotional coupon 1016 corresponding topromotional coupon 1110 of FIG. 11 , and associated with subsequentlocation 1102 (e.g., a second type of content). Simultaneously, thefirst extended reality display rule associating wearable extendedreality appliance 1006 with initial location 1002 may prevent display ofcoupon 1016 via wearable extended reality appliance 1006 at initiallocation 1002.

Some embodiments involve accessing a user profile associated with theparticular wearable extended reality appliance, the user profileassociating permitted types of content with locations, whereinperforming a lookup in the repository to identify an extended realitydisplay rule is based on the user profile. A user profile may refer toinformation and/or a collection of settings associated with a specificuser for use by a software application, e.g., to tailor a userexperience for the specific user. Settings of a user profile may relateto how, what, where, and/or when content may be downloaded, displayed,and/or shared, privacy and security settings, communicationsinformation, personal identifiable information, account information, andany other information affecting a user experience. Accessing a userprofile associated with the particular wearable extended realityappliance may include determining a unique identifier for a user and/ora wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., by prompting a user for aunique identifier and/or accessing account information associated withthe user and/or the wearable extended reality appliance), establishing acommunications link with a repository storing multiple user profilesassociated with multiple users and/or wearable extended realityappliances, formulating a query using a unique identifier for a userand/or a wearable extended reality appliance, submitting a query for auser profile to a repository storing multiple user profiles, and/orretrieving one or more settings and/or preferences of a user profile inresponse to a query. A user profile associating permitted types ofcontent with locations may refer to one or more (e.g., default and/oruser-defined) settings and/or preferences defining what content may bedisplayed via a wearable extended reality appliance at differentlocations, e.g., to provide a customized user experience that islocation-based. Performing a lookup in a repository to identify anextended reality display rule based on a user profile may include one ormore operations similar to the operations for performing a lookup forthe first and second extended reality display rules described earlier,where the repository may store multiple user profiles, each includingone or more extended reality display rules.

For example, a user may define an extended reality display rule as asetting of a user profile associated with the user and a wearableextended reality appliance. The extended reality display rule may permitdisplaying personal notifications while at home but may block personalnotifications while at work. At least one processor may query arepository for the user profile and may receive the extended realitydisplay rule with the user profile in response. Consequently, personalnotifications may be displayed via the wearable extended realityappliance while the user is at home and may be blocked while the user isat work.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 10 shows user 1004 viewing menu1010 in initial location 1002. User 1004 may be vegan and may have set auser preference to only view vegan food items via wearable extendedreality appliance 1006 (e.g., a first extended reality display rule).Upon entering initial location 1002, at least one processor associatedwith wearable extended reality appliance 1006 (e.g., processing device460 and/or server 210) may query a repository (e.g., data structure 212)with a unique identifier for location 1002 and may receive a userprofile for user 1004 in response. The at least one processor mayimplement the first extended reality display rule included in the userprofile such that food items 1012 and menu 1010 include only veganchoices. However, user 1022 may have set a user preference to view anyfood items offered at initial location 1002 (e.g., a second extendedreality display rule). At least one processor associated with wearableextended reality appliance 1014 may query the repository for the userprofile for user 1022 and receive a third extended reality display rulein response. Implementing the third extended reality display rule maycause all food items offered at initial location 1002 to be displayedvia menu 1020, e.g., including dairy and meat options.

Some embodiments involve while the particular wearable extended realityappliance is in the initial location: causing the particular wearableextended reality appliance to display a graphical user interface (GUI)element indicative of an existence of the second instances of the secondtype of content. A graphical user interface element may refer to avisually displayed object configured to enable interactions between auser and a computing device (e.g., via any of input devices of inputunit 202 of FIG. 2 ). An element of a GUI may include text, graphics,images, or a combination thereof and may be displayed in color and/orgrey-scale, as one-, two-, or three-dimensional objects. GUI elementsmay include one or more menu bars, tabs, buttons, checkboxes, menus(e.g., drop down menus), text boxes, links, and/or forms, eachpresenting text and/or graphics (e.g., images and/or icons). A GUIelement indicative of an existence of the second instances of the secondtype of content may refer to a GUI element notifying or informing a userthat the second type of content may be available for viewing orotherwise accessed. For example, the GUI element may be in the form ofan alert or a miniaturized version of the second type of content.Causing a wearable extended reality appliance to display a GUI elementmay include one or more of determining an existence of the secondinstances of the second type of content, selecting a GUI element toindicate existence of the second instances of the second type ofcontent, determining a layout and location for displaying a GUI element,and/or activating pixels of a wearable extended reality appliance todisplay a GUI element.

Some embodiments involve identifying an interaction with the GUI elementfor permitting a display of the second instances of the second type ofcontent at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance. An interaction with a GUI element may includereceiving one or more inputs from a user via a GUI element. Types ofinputs that may be received via a GUI element may include gestures(e.g., body, hand, arm, leg, foot, head, and/or eye gestures), textinput (e.g., via a keyboard), pointing, selecting, dragging, and/ordropping inputs (e.g., by a pointing device), and/or any other type ofinput entered by a user to a GUI element. Identifying may includedetecting, sensing, determining and/or establishing, e.g., a fact or anoccurrence of something. Identifying an interaction with a GUI elementmay include one or more of associating a GUI element with an eventlistener, displaying a GUI element (e.g., via a wearable extendedreality appliance), receiving a notification from an event listener ofan interaction (e.g., a user interaction) with a GUI element, and/orreceiving a user input in association with a notification from an eventlistener. Permitting a display of the second instances of the secondtype of content at the initial location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance may include overriding an extended realitydisplay rule preventing display of the second instances of the secondtype of content at the initial location. Some embodiments involve, inresponse to the identified interaction, causing a display of the secondinstances of the second type of content at the initial location via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance. Causing a display ofinstances of a second type of content at an initial location via aparticular wearable extended reality appliance may include one or moreof retrieving an instance of a second type of content, determining aninitial location for a particular wearable extended reality appliance,overriding a rule blocking a display of a second type of content via aparticular wearable extended reality appliance at an initial location,determining a layout for displaying an instance of a second type ofcontent via a particular wearable extended reality appliance, and/oractivating pixels of a particular wearable extended reality applianceaccording to a layout for an instance of a second type of content. Forexample, a wearable extended reality appliance may include an overridebutton or widget (e.g., a GUI element) allowing a user to display secondcontent that was formerly blocked from display at a specific location.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , while user 1004 is atinitial location 1002, at least one processor (e.g., processing device460 and/or server 210) may cause an interactive GUI element 1018 to bedisplayed via wearable extended reality appliance 1006 indicating anexistence of promotional coupon 1110 (e.g., the second type of content).User 1004 may select GUI element 1018, for example by performing apointing gesture that may be captured by a camera associated withwearable extended reality appliance 1006 (e.g., image sensor 472). Theat least one processor may identify the gesture as an interactionbetween user 1004 and GUI element 1018 indicating a permission todisplay an instance of promotional coupon 1110 at initial location 1002via wearable extended reality appliance 1006. In response to thepointing gesture (e.g., the identified interaction), the at least oneprocessor may cause an instance of promotional coupon 1110 to bedisplayed at initial location 1002 via wearable extended realityappliance 1006 (not shown), for example, similar to promotional coupon1016 displayed to user 1022 via wearable extended reality appliance1014.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication of a third location ofthe particular wearable extended reality appliance. Receiving anindication of a third location of a particular wearable extended realityappliance may include one or more operations similar to the operationsfor receiving an indication of a first or second location describedearlier. Some embodiments involve performing a third lookup in therepository for a match between the third location and a third extendedreality display rule associating the particular wearable extendedreality appliance with the third location, wherein the third extendedreality display rule permits the first type of content and the secondtype of content to be displayed in the third location. Performing athird lookup in the repository for a match between the third locationand a third extended reality display rule associating the particularwearable extended reality appliance with the third location may includeone or more operations similar to the operations for performing thefirst or second lookup, as described earlier, where a third extendedreality display rule may be received associating the wearable extendedreality appliance with the third location. The third extended realitydisplay rule may permit displaying content permitted for display at theinitial location as well as content blocked from being displayed at theinitial location. Some embodiments involve implementing the thirdextended reality display rule to enable fifth instances of the firsttype of content and sixth instances of the second type of content to bedisplayed at the third location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance. Implementing the third extended reality display rulemay include one or more operations as described earlier for implementingthe first and second extended reality display rules, where both thefirst and second types of content may be displayed (e.g., concurrently)at the third location.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 13 whichillustrates an exemplary system 1300 for enabling location-based virtualcontent at an additional location 1302 (e.g., a third location),consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. System 1300 issubstantially similar to system 1000 with the notable difference thatuser 1004 has moved to third location 1302 (e.g., a public park). Atleast one processor (e.g., processing device 460 and/or server 210) mayreceive a GPS signal indicating third location 1302 for wearableextended reality appliance 1006. The at least one processor may performa third lookup in the repository for a match between third location 1302and a third extended reality display rule associating wearable extendedreality appliance 1006 with third location 1302. The third extendedreality display rule may permit first type of content (e.g., a menu1010) and second type of content (e.g., a promotional coupon 1110) to bedisplayed in third location 1302. The at least one processor mayimplement the third extended reality display rule to enable instances offirst type of content 1304 (e.g., the menu) and instances of second typeof content 1306 (e.g., the promotional coupon) to be displayed at thirdlocation 1302 via wearable extended reality appliance 1006.

Some embodiments involve receiving an indication of a fourth location ofthe particular wearable extended reality appliance. Receiving anindication of a fourth location may include one or more operationssimilar to the operations for receiving an indication of a first orsecond location described earlier. Some embodiments involve performing afourth lookup in the repository for a match between the fourth locationand a fourth extended reality display rule associating the particularwearable extended reality appliance with the fourth location, whereinthe fourth extended reality display rule prevents the first type ofcontent display and the second type of content from being displayed inthe fourth location. Performing a fourth lookup in the repository mayinclude one or more operations similar to the operations for performinga first lookup in the repository, as described earlier. Some embodimentsinvolve implementing the fourth extended reality display rule to preventseventh instances of the first type of content and eighth instances ofthe second type of content from being displayed at the fourth locationvia the particular wearable extended reality appliance. Implementing thefourth extended reality display rule may include one or more operationsas described earlier for implementing the first and second extendedreality display rules, where both the first and second types of contentmay be blocked from being displayed at the fourth location.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 12 shows user 1004 at a fourthlocation 1202 (e.g., corresponding to the new location describedearlier). At least one processor (e.g., processing device 460 and/orserver 210) may receive a GPS signal indicating fourth location 1202 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1006. The at least one processor mayperform a fourth lookup in the repository for a match between fourthlocation 1202 and a fourth extended reality display rule associatingwearable extended reality appliance 1006 with fourth location 1202. Thefourth extended reality display rule may prevent first type of contentand second type of content from being displayed in fourth location 1202,e.g., for safety reasons. The at least one processor may implement thefourth extended reality display rule to block display of instances offirst type of content (e.g., a menu 1010) and instances of second typeof content (e.g., promotional coupon 1110) from being displayed atfourth location 1202 via wearable extended reality appliance 1006.

FIG. 14 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 1400 forenabling location-based virtual content, consistent with embodiments ofthe present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 1400 may beperformed by at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460) toperform operations or functions described herein. In some embodiments,some aspects of process 1400 may be implemented as software (e.g.,program codes or instructions) that are stored in a memory (e.g., memorydevice 411 of extended reality unit 204, shown in FIG. 4 ) or anon-transitory computer readable medium. In some embodiments, someaspects of process 1400 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., aspecific-purpose circuit). In some embodiments, process 1400 may beimplemented as a combination of software and hardware.

Referring to FIG. 14 , process 1400 may include a step 1402 of receivingan indication of an initial location of a particular wearable extendedreality appliance. Process 1400 may include a step 1404 of performing afirst lookup in a repository for a match between the initial locationand a first extended reality display rule associating the particularwearable extended reality appliance with the initial location, whereinthe first extended reality display rule permits a first type of contentdisplay in the initial location and prevents a second type of contentdisplay in the initial location. Process 1400 may include a step 1406 ofimplementing the first extended reality display rule to thereby enablefirst instances of the first type of content to be displayed at theinitial location via the particular wearable extended reality appliancewhile preventing second instances of the second type of content frombeing displayed at the initial location via the particular wearableextended reality appliance. Process 1400 may include a step 1408 ofreceiving an indication of a subsequent location of the particularwearable extended reality appliance. Process 1400 may include a step1410 of performing a second lookup in the repository for a match betweenthe subsequent location and a second extended reality display ruleassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with thesubsequent location, wherein the second extended reality display ruleprevents the first type of content display in the subsequent locationand permits the second type of content display in the subsequentlocation. Process 1400 may include a step 1412 of implementing thesecond extended reality display rule to enable third instances of thesecond type of content to be displayed at the subsequent location viathe particular wearable extended reality appliance while preventingfourth instances of the first type of content from being displayed atthe subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance.

Some embodiments involve a system for enabling location-based virtualcontent. The system may include at least one processing deviceconfigured to: receive an indication of an initial location of aparticular wearable extended reality appliance; perform a first lookupin a repository for a match between the initial location and a firstextended reality display rule associating the particular wearableextended reality appliance with the initial location, wherein the firstextended reality display rule permits a first type of content display inthe initial location and prevents a second type of content display inthe initial location; implement the first extended reality display ruleto thereby enable first instances of the first type of content to bedisplayed at the initial location via the particular wearable extendedreality appliance while preventing second instances of the second typeof content from being displayed at the initial location via theparticular wearable extended reality appliance; receive an indication ofa subsequent location of the particular wearable extended realityappliance; perform a second lookup in the repository for a match betweenthe subsequent location and a second extended reality display ruleassociating the particular wearable extended reality appliance with thesubsequent location, wherein the second extended reality display ruleprevents the first type of content display in the subsequent locationand permits the second type of content display in the subsequentlocation; and implement the second extended reality display rule toenable third instances of the second type of content to be displayed atthe subsequent location via the particular wearable extended realityappliance while preventing fourth instances of the first type of contentfrom being displayed at the subsequent location via the particularwearable extended reality appliance.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 10 , at least one processor(e.g., processing device 460 and/or server 210) may receive anindication of initial location 1002 of wearable extended realityappliance 1006. The at least one processor may perform a first lookup ina repository (e.g., data structure 212) for a match between initiallocation 1002 and a first extended reality display rule associatingwearable extended reality appliance 1006 with initial location 1002. Thefirst extended reality display rule may permit a first type of contentdisplay (e.g., menu 1010) in initial location 1002 and may prevent asecond type of content display (e.g., promotional coupon 1110) ininitial location 1002. The at least one processor may implement thefirst extended reality display rule to thereby enable first instances ofthe first type of content to be displayed at initial location 1002 viawearable extended reality appliance 1006 while preventing secondinstances of second type of content from being displayed at initiallocation 1002 via wearable extended reality appliance 1006. The at leastone processor may receive an indication of subsequent location 1102 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1006. The at least one processor mayperform a second lookup in the repository for a match between subsequentlocation 1102 and a second extended reality display rule associatingwearable extended reality appliance 1006 with subsequent location 1102.The second extended reality display rule may prevent first type ofcontent from being displayed at subsequent location 1102 and may permitthe second type of content display in subsequent location 1102. The atleast one processor may implement the second extended reality displayrule to enable third instances of the second type of content to bedisplayed at subsequent location 1102 via wearable extended realityappliance 1006 while preventing fourth instances of the first type ofcontent from being displayed at subsequent location 1102 via wearableextended reality appliance 1006.

Some extended reality environments may selectively enforce privacysettings for simultaneously viewing of one or more virtual objects in aphysical environment. The privacy settings may allow authorized extendedreality appliances to present virtual objects classified as private,while denying other extended reality appliances from presenting virtualobjects classified as private. The privacy settings may be applied toone or more virtual objects, one or more locations in a physicalenvironment, and/or in association with one or more physical objectspresent in the physical environment. This may allow applying privacysettings based on location (e.g., such that moving virtual object to andfrom private locations may classify and/or declassify virtual objects asprivate), applying privacy settings based on a virtual object (e.g.,independent of location), and/or applying privacy settings based onproximity to a physical object.

In some embodiments, operations may be performed for managing privacy inan extended reality environment. Data may be received from an imagesensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance. The imagedata may be reflective of a physical environment. Data may be accessed,the data characterizing a plurality of virtual objects for associationwith locations in the physical environment. The data may represent afirst virtual object and a second virtual object. Privacy settings maybe accessed, the privacy settings classifying at least one of the firstvirtual object and a location of the first virtual object as private. Afirst extended reality appliance may be classified as approved forpresentation of private information. A second extended reality appliancemay be classified as not-approved for presentation of the privateinformation. A simultaneous presentation of an augmented viewing of thephysical environment may be enabled, such that during the simultaneouspresentation, the first extended reality appliance may present the firstvirtual object and the second virtual object in the physicalenvironment, and the second extended reality appliance may present thesecond virtual object, omitting presentation of the first virtual objectin compliance with the privacy settings.

In some instances, the description that follows may refer to FIGS. 15 to24 , which taken together, illustrate exemplary implementations formanaging privacy in an extended reality environment, consistent withsome disclosed embodiments. FIGS. 15 to 24 are intended merely tofacilitate conceptualization of one exemplary implementation forperforming operations for selectively operating a wearable extendedreality appliance and do not limit the disclosure to any particularimplementation.

Some embodiments involve a non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for managingprivacy in an extended reality environment. A non-transitorycomputer-readable medium containing instructions may be understood asdescribed earlier. At least one processor may include one or moreprocessing devices as described earlier (e.g., processing device 460 ofFIG. 4 ). Privacy, (e.g., information privacy data privacy, and/or dataprotection) may include one or more policies and/or recommendationsregulating the collection, storage, and/or dissemination of privateinformation, e.g., to prevent non-authorized leakage and/or accessthereto. For example, a data controller (e.g., associated with a cloudservice) may implement one or more protocols associated with thepolicies and/or recommendations to protect private, sensitive and/orconfidential information of a data owner (e.g., a user), e.g., toprotect the interest of the data owner. Privacy settings may includevarying degrees of protection, e.g., for applying to different contacts,contexts, and/or use cases. Private information may include anyinformation that, if revealed to a non-authorized entity, may causeharm, loss, or injury to an individual or entity associated therewith.Private information may also include information that an entity (e.g.,user, person, organization) or data owner may not wish to share withanother entity. Some examples of private information (e.g., sensitivedata) may include personal identifying information, locationinformation, genetic data, information related to health, financial,business, personal, family, education, political, religious, and/orlegal matters, and/or sexual orientation or gender identification.

Managing privacy may include performing one or more operations toprotect sensitive (e.g., private) information from being leaked orrevealed to a non-authorized entity. Such operations may include, forexample, classifying information as sensitive in compliance with one ormore privacy policies or recommendations, and/or enforcing one or morerules governing access, storage, and/or sharing capabilities withregards to private information, e.g., to protect an interest of anindividual associated with the private information. Operations formanaging privacy may additionally include, for example, limiting accessand/or sharing of information using a firewall and/or an authenticationprotocol. Some examples of authentication protocols may includerequiring a password, a biometric token, or a digital certificate,and/or or imposing a multi-factor authentication. Operations formanaging privacy may additionally include, for example, conditioningaccess, storage, and/or sharing of information upon receiving consent bythe data owner, and/or obscuring sensitive information (e.g., byredacting, editing, censoring, and/or encrypting sensitive information).Operations for managing privacy may further include, for example,testing protective measures for limiting access and/or dissemination ofsensitive information for vulnerabilities. An extended realityenvironment—e.g., also referred to as “extended reality”, “extendedreality space”, or “extended environment”, may refer to all types ofreal- and-virtual combined environments and human-machine interactionsat least partially generated by computer technology, as describedelsewhere in this disclosure.

Some embodiments involve receiving image data from an image sensorassociated with a wearable extended reality appliance. Receiving mayinvolve accepting delivery of, acquiring, retrieving, obtaining, orotherwise gaining access to, e.g., information or data by at least oneprocessor. The data may be received via a communications channel, suchas a wired channel (e.g., cable, fiber) and/or wireless channel (e.g.,radio, cellular, optical, IR). The data may be received as individualpackets or as a continuous stream of data. The data may be receivedsynchronously, e.g., by periodically polling a memory buffer, queue orstack, or asynchronously, e.g., via an interrupt event. Image data mayrefer to pixel data streams, digital images, digital video streams, dataderived from captured images, and data that may be used to construct oneor more 2D and/or 3D images, a sequence of 2D and/or 3D images, 2Dand/or 3D videos, or a virtual 2D and/or 3D representation, as describedearlier. Image data may convey information associated with visualcharacteristics of a physical environment and may include one or more ofpixels or voxels (e.g., directly characterizing visual aspects of aphysical environment), and/or metadata (e.g., indirectly characterizingvisual aspects of a physical environment). An image sensor may includeone or more sensory components capable of detecting and convertingoptical signals in the near-infrared, infrared, visible, and ultravioletspectrums into electrical signals, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. A wearable extended reality appliance may refer to ahead-mounted device, for example, smart glasses, smart contact lens,headsets or any other device worn by a human for purposes of presentingan extended reality to the human, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure.

In some embodiments, the image data is reflective of a physicalenvironment. Reflective may refer to constituting, indicating,exhibiting, and/or revealing, for example, a parallel configuration ofan observation. For example, image data may include information havingparallel characteristics of a physical environment, thereby revealingcharacteristics and being reflective of the physical environment. Aphysical environment may refer to the real-world surroundings of awearable extended reality appliance, such as the presence of walls,surfaces (e.g., floor, table tops, ceiling), obstructing objects (houseplants, people, furniture, walls, doors), windows, supporting objects(e.g., tables, surfaces, shelves), motile objects (e.g., humans,animals, robots), lighting conditions, noise conditions, and/or anyother physical characteristic potentially affecting the presentation ofcontent via a wearable extended reality appliance. For example, imagedata may indicate locations in the physical environment conducive todisplaying virtual objects (e.g., as a desk surface, or blank wall, andlocations that may not be conducive to displaying virtual objects, suchas a window or entryway). Similarly, image data may indicate locationsand/or objects for associating with private information, and/or forassociating with non-private (e.g., public) information. An image sensorintegrated with the wearable extended reality appliance may capturemultiple images of the physical environment from differing perspectives.At least one processing device may analyze the images (e.g., bystitching or combining multiple images to obtain a three-dimensionaldepiction of the physical environment), allowing for determination oflocations for presenting virtual objects therein and selectivelyapplying one or more privacy settings.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplaryphysical environment 1500, consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Physical environment 1500 includes a computerdisplay 1502 resting at a first location 1504 (e.g., a desk surface),and a second location 1506 (e.g., a side-table). First location 1504 andsecond location 1506 are above a floor 1508 of physical environment1500. A user 1510 is shown wearing a wearable extended reality appliance1512 including an image sensor 1514. For example, image sensor 1514 maycorrespond to image sensor 472 of FIG. 4 . Image sensor 1514 may captureimage data reflective of physical environment 1500.

By way of a non-limiting example, FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary image1600 of physical environment 1500 captured by image sensor 1514 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. Image 1600 includes depictions1602, 1604, 1606, and 1608 of computer display 1502, first location 1504(e.g., a desk surface), second location 1506 (e.g., a side-table), andfloor 1508, respectively, reflective of physical environment 1500. Insome embodiments, image sensor 1514 may capture multiple images ofphysical environment 1500 (e.g., similar to image 1600) from differingperspectives. The at least one processor may analyze the multiple imagesto construct a three-dimensional representation of physical environment1500, allowing to identify locations, objects, and/or distancestherebetween.

Some embodiments involve accessing data characterizing a plurality ofvirtual objects for association with locations in the physicalenvironment. Accessing data may refer to obtaining information, e.g., atleast for the purpose of reading, or acquiring relevant information.Data may be accessed, for example, by querying a data repository,receiving information from one or more sensors and or devices, and/orreceiving information from a user (e.g., via an electronic or inputdevice). Data may be accessed locally (e.g., from a local memorystorage) and/or remotely (e.g., from a cloud storage via acommunications network). Characterizing may include describing,classifying, and/or categorizing. A virtual object may include anyvisual presentation rendered by a computer or a processing device, asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. A location in a physicalenvironment may refer to a physical place or position within a physicalenvironment, e.g., surrounding a wearable extended reality appliance. Alocation may be two-dimensional (e.g., an area on a wall, floor,ceiling, or table) or three-dimensional (e.g., a volume). In someembodiments, a location may be relative to one or more sensors (e.g., acellular tower, a Wi-Fi and/or BlueTooth antenna, a camera, a LIDARdetector, a radar detector, and/or an ultrasound detector) and/orrelative to the Earth (e.g., latitude and longitude coordinates). Insome embodiments, a location may refer to a specific point (e.g.,measured with reference to a coordinate system), or a locus of pointswithin a range of a specific point. For example, a location may includea plurality of points within communication distance of a sensor, aplurality of points associated with a presentation of a virtual object,and/or a plurality of points containing a physical object. In someembodiments, a location may be associated with a measuring toleranceand/or a clearance relative to other locations in the physicalenvironment. For instance, when determining a layout for presentingmultiple virtual objects in a physical environment, at least oneprocessor may access characterizing data (e.g., features and/orattributes) needed for presenting one or more virtual objects in thephysical environment. Examples of characterizing data may include atype, a size, a use-case, an interfacing medium (e.g., gesture, text,electronic pointing device, and/or audio), a context, an associationwith other virtual and/or physical objects, a color, a transparency oropacity, a luminosity, and/or any other characterizing feature. In someinstances, the data characterizing the virtual objects may associateeach virtual object with a specific location and/or physical object ofthe physical environment. For example, the characterizing data mayassociate some virtual objects as personal or private and may positionthose virtual objects at a (e.g., first) location and/or docked to afirst physical object reserved for private use, where one or moreprivacy settings may be applied. Similarly, the characterizing data mayassociate other virtual objects as public or for collaborative use, andmay position those virtual objects in a second location and/or docked toa different physical object for viewing by multiple users, where one ormore privacy settings may be voided.

For instance, the presentation of virtual objects associated withpersonal or private use may be tethered to a personal communicationsdevice (e.g., a mobile phone) and the presentation of virtual objectsassociated with collaborative use by multiple users may be tethered to acomputer monitor for viewing by anyone in the physical environment.

In some embodiments, the data represents a first virtual object and asecond virtual object. Representing may include embodying, depicting ordescribing details of one or more objects, e.g., to allow renderinginstances of the one or more objects on a display of an extended realityappliance. For example, the accessed data may include details defining asize, a format, a type, a shape, a color, a transparency, a luminosity,an interface capability, access permissions, a scope, a context, apermission or authorization, an association with other (e.g., realand/or virtual) objects, and/or any other information required topresent the first virtual object and the second virtual object in thephysical environment. In some embodiments, the first virtual object maybe associated with private use and the second virtual object may beassociated with non-private use.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 17illustrating a plurality of virtual objects, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. The plurality of virtual objectsmay include for example, a weather widget (e.g., virtual object 1700), avirtual plant (e.g., virtual object 1702), a mail widget (e.g., virtualobject 1704), and a game widget (e.g., virtual object 1706). In thenon-limiting examples that follow, virtual object 1706 (e.g., a gamewidget) may be referred to as the first virtual object, and virtualobject 1702 (e.g., a virtual plant) may be referred to as the secondvirtual object. At least one processor (e.g., remote processing unit 208of FIG. 2 and/or processing device 460 of FIG. 4 ) may access datacharacterizing one or more of virtual objects 1700 to 1706 forassociating one or more locations in physical environment 1500 (e.g.,first location 1504 and/or second location 1506). For instance, theaccessed data may characterize at least first virtual object 1706 (e.g.,a game widget) as the first virtual object and second virtual object1702 (e.g., a virtual plant) as the second virtual object.

Some embodiments involve accessing privacy settings classifying at leastone of the first virtual object and a location of the first virtualobject as private. Privacy settings may include one or more parametersgoverning and/or restricting the sharing, storage, and/or exposure ofprivate information (e.g., sensitive data) associated with an electronicdevice, and/or with a software application (e.g., a browser application,collaborative software, and/or a social media application), or a useraccount thereof. Privacy settings may include one or more default values(e.g., recommended values) associated with one or more policies and/orrecommendations governing data privacy. In some embodiments, someprivacy settings may be overridden, e.g., by a user and/oradministrator. Some privacy settings may control and/or restrict withwhom, when, and/or how selected information may be shared (e.g.,regulating sharing), and other privacy setting may prohibit sharing ofsensitive information (e.g., blocking sharing). As an example, privacysettings may permit sharing of private information only with a selectedgroup of contacts in an encrypted format, may only permit viewingsensitive information in specified locations (e.g., in an office orhome), and/or prohibit accessing private information in other locations(e.g., in public). Accessing privacy settings may include gainingpermission to read and/or write to a location in memory allocated forstoring privacy settings and performing at least a read operation at thelocation. Classifying at least one of the first virtual object and alocation of the first virtual object as private may include designatingand/or categorizing a virtual object and/or a location for presentingthe virtual object as privileged, confidential, and/or exclusive (e.g.,subject to one or more rules or settings), thereby preventing anunauthorized user and/or device from accessing the first virtual objectand/or the location.

In some examples, the privacy settings may classify a virtual object(such as the first virtual object, a different virtual object, etc.) asprivate based on whether a physical location associated with the virtualobject (such as a physical location at which the virtual object ispresented via augmentation) is classified as private. For example,privacy settings may classify a virtual object as private when thephysical location is classified as private, and may avoid classifyingthe virtual object as private when the physical object is not classifiedas private. In some examples, the privacy settings may classify aphysical location (such as the physical location associated with avirtual object) as private based on visual characteristics of thephysical location. In one example, image data received from an imagesensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance may beanalyzed to determine whether the privacy settings classify a physicallocation (such as the physical location associated with a virtualobject) as private. For example, a machine learning model may be trainedusing training examples to classify physical locations as private basedon images and/or videos of the physical locations. An example of suchtraining example may include a sample image of a sample physicallocation, together with a label indicating whether the sample physicallocation is classified as private. The received image data may beanalyzed using the trained machine learning model to classify thelocation of the first virtual object as private. Further, based onprivacy settings classifying the location of the first virtual object asprivate, the first virtual object may be classified as private (e.g., atleast one processor may apply the privacy settings to classify the firstvirtual object as private). In another example, privacy settings mayclassify a physical location as private based on the presence of aphysical object of a selected type in the physical location (or in aselected area that includes the physical location). For example, atleast one processor may analyze image data of the physical locationusing a visual object detection and/or recognition algorithm todetermine whether a physical object of the selected type is present inthe physical location (or in the selected area that includes thephysical location), and thereby determine whether the physical locationis classified as private. In yet another example, the privacy settingsmay classify a physical location as private based on a relation betweentwo physical objects in a selected area that includes the physicallocation. For example, when the relation is of a first kind, the privacysettings may classify the physical location as private, and/or when therelation is of a second kind, the privacy settings may avoid classifyingthe physical location as private. Some non-limiting examples of such arelation may include proximity, distance between two physical objects,relative orientation of two physical object to one another, relativemotion between two physical objects, an involvement of two physicalobjects in a common action and/or in a common event, and/or any otherstate of two physical objects exhibiting a relation therebetween. In oneexample, at least one processor may receive image data and may analyzethe image data to determine a relation between two physical objectslocated in a physical location, to determine of the physical location isclassified as private. For example, a machine learning model may betrained using training examples to determine a relation between twophysical object from images and/or videos. An example of such trainingexample may include a sample image of a sample pair of physical objects,together with a label indicating the relation between the sample pair ofphysical objects. At least one processor may use the trained machinelearning model to analyze the received image data to determine therelationship between the two physical objects, thereby determiningwhether the physical location is classified as private.

Some embodiments involve classifying a first extended reality applianceas approved for presentation of private information. An extended realityappliance may refer to an electronic device having an electronic displayconfigured to present one or more virtual objects. Some examples of anextended reality appliance may include a wearable extended realityappliance, as described elsewhere in this disclosure, as well as any ofa mobile communications device, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, amonitor, an electronic screen, and/or any other device configured forpresenting data. Approved may refer to authorized or permissible, e.g.,to access and/or to present data. Private information may includesensitive information, as described elsewhere in this disclosure.Classifying an extended reality appliance as approved for presentingprivate information may include designating or authorizing an extendedreality appliance to access private information (e.g., based on a uniqueidentifier and/or by providing an access-granting credential), and/orauthorizing an extended reality appliance to send private informationfor presentation (e.g., to a memory accessible by another extendedreality appliance, to a buffer or queue of an electronic display orprinting device, and/or to any other device configured for presentingdata).

Some embodiments involve classifying a second extended reality applianceas non-approved for presentation of the private information.Non-approved may refer to unauthorized or forbidden, e.g., fromaccessing and/or presenting data. Classifying an extended realityappliance as non-approved for presenting private information may includedenying authorization to an extended reality appliance to access privateinformation (e.g., based on a unique identifier), withholding anaccess-granting credential, and/or preventing an extended realityappliance from sending private information for presentation.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 18illustrating a system 1800 for managing privacy in an extended realityenvironment, consistent with some disclosed embodiments. System 1800 mayinclude at least a first extended reality appliance 1802 for viewing afirst view 1804 of physical environment 1500 (e.g., by a first user) anda second extended reality appliance 1806 for viewing a second view 1808of physical environment 1500 (e.g., by a second user). Physicalenvironment 1500 may include a third extended reality appliance (e.g.,computer display 1502) for simultaneous viewing via first extendedreality appliance 1802 and via second extended reality appliance 1806,e.g., for collaborating on a filed shared with multiple users. Asreferred to herein with respect to FIGS. 15 to 24 , at least oneprocessor may include at least one remote processing unit 208 of FIG. 2, processing device 460 of FIG. 4 associated with one or more ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512, first extended realityappliance 1802, and/or second extended reality appliance 1806.

The at least one processor may access privacy settings stored in memory(e.g., memory device 411 of FIG. 4 and/or data structure 212 of FIG. 2). In some embodiments, the privacy settings may classify one or more ofvirtual objects 1700 to 1706 as public and one or more of virtualobjects 1700 to 1706 as private. For instance, the privacy settings mayclassify first virtual object 1706 (e.g., a game widget) and/or virtualobject 1704 (e.g., a mail widget) as private information, and mayclassify virtual object 1700 (e.g., a weather widget) and/or secondvirtual object 1702 (e.g., a virtual plant) as public information.Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, the privacy settingsmay classify a location associated with one or more virtual objects asprivate or public. For example, the privacy settings may classify firstlocation 1504 as private, for example to present virtual object 1704(e.g., a mail widget) and/or first virtual object 1706 (e.g., a gamewidget), and may classify second location 1506 as public, for example topresent second virtual object 1702 (e.g., a virtual plant). In addition,the at least one processor may classify first extended reality appliance1802 as approved for presenting private information (e.g., based on areceiving an authorization credential) and may classify second extendedreality appliance 1806 as non-approved for presentation of privateinformation (e.g., based on a lack of an unauthorized certificate).Consequently, private information may be viewed via first extendedreality appliance 1802, and may be blocked from viewing via secondextended reality appliance 1806.

In some embodiments, the first extended reality appliance is thewearable extended reality appliance. Since the wearable extended realityappliance is the first appliance it may be classified as beingauthorized to present private information. By way of a non-limitingexample, in FIG. 18 , first extended reality appliance 1802 (e.g.,approved for presenting private information) may be the wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., corresponding to wearable extendedreality appliance 1512), with image sensor 1812 of first extendedreality appliance 1802 corresponding to image sensor 1514. Image sensor1812 may acquire image 1600 (e.g., image data) of physical environment1500, and provide the image data to the at least one processor.

In some embodiments, the second extended reality appliance is thewearable extended reality appliance. Since the wearable extended realityappliance is the second appliance it may be classified as beingauthorized to present private information By way of a non-limitingexample, in FIG. 18 , second extended reality appliance 1806 (e.g.,non-approved for presenting private information) may be the wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., corresponding to wearable extendedreality appliance 1512), with image sensor 1814 of second extendedreality appliance 1806 corresponding to image sensor 1514. Image sensor1814 may acquire image 1600 (e.g., image data) of physical environment1500, and provide the image data to the at least one processor.

In some embodiments, the wearable extended reality appliance differsfrom the first extended reality appliance and the second extendedreality appliance. The devices that may be authorized or not authorizedto present private information may differ from the wearable extendedreality appliance. For example, the first and second extended realitydevices may be any of a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a mobilecommunications device. By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 15 ,image sensor 1514 of wearable extended reality appliance 1512 mayacquire image 1600 (e.g., image data) of physical environment 1500, andprovide the image data to at least one processor. Wearable extendedreality appliance 1512 may differ from first extended reality appliance1802 and second extended reality appliance 1806.

Some embodiments involve simultaneously enabling a presentation of anaugmented viewing of the physical environment. Simultaneously may referto concurrently, e.g., at the same instant in time, or within a limitedtime threshold (e.g., several milliseconds or microseconds). Anaugmented viewing of a physical environment may include an enhanced,diversified, and/or heterogeneous depiction or observation of thephysical environment. In some embodiments, an augmented viewing of aphysical environment may include one or more virtual objects overlaid orsuperimposed on the physical environment. Additionally, oralternatively, an augmented viewing of a physical environment mayinclude a plurality of views or perspectives, e.g., including differentsubsets of physical and/or virtual objects. Simultaneously enabling apresentation of an augmented viewing of the physical environment mayinvolve concurrently displaying two different (e.g., heterogeneous)depictions of a physical environment. For example, an augmented viewingmay include displaying a first depiction of the physical environment viaa first extended reality appliance and concurrently displaying a seconddepiction of the physical environment via a second extended realityappliance, where the first and second depictions include at least onedifferentiating feature. In some embodiments, the augmented viewing maysimultaneously allow a first user (e.g., associated with a first viewingdevice) to see a first set of virtual objects in a first perspective ofthe physical environment and a second user (e.g., associated with asecond viewing device) to see a second set of virtual objects in asecond perspective of the physical environment.

In some embodiments, simultaneously enabling a presentation of anaugmented viewing may include storing the privacy settings and datacharacterizing the plurality of virtual objects at a data structure(e.g., data structure 212 of FIG. 2 ) associated with a server (e.g.,server 21), such that multiple extended reality appliances may accessthe data structure via a communications network (e.g., communicationsnetwork 214). The server may restrict access to virtual objectsclassified as private only to authorized extended reality appliances(e.g., conditional on receiving an approved credential) and may grantaccess to virtual objects classified as public information to anyextended reality appliance.

In some embodiments, during the simultaneous presentation, the firstextended reality appliance presents the first virtual object and thesecond virtual object in the physical environment, and the secondextended reality appliance presents the second virtual object, omittingpresentation of the first virtual object in compliance with the privacysettings. Omitting may involve excluding, barring, and/or withholding(e.g., a presentation of private information). In compliance with theprivacy settings may refer to consistent with the privacy settings,e.g., to prevent violation of any rules associated with the privacysettings. For instance, two different extended reality appliances maysimultaneously present two different views of the physical environmentin keeping with the privacy settings. The first extended realityappliance (e.g., approved for presenting private information) maypresent the first virtual object (e.g., private information) and thesecond virtual object (e.g., public information). Concurrently (e.g.,simultaneously), the second extended reality appliance (e.g.,non-approved for presenting private information) may present only thesecond virtual object and may be blocked from presenting the firstvirtual object. The privacy settings may prohibit the second extendedreality appliance from accessing data representing the second virtualobject and/or from rendering the second virtual object.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , at least one processormay simultaneously enable a presentation of an augmented viewingincluding first view 1804 via first extended reality appliance 1802 andsecond view 1808 via second extended reality appliance 1806 of physicalenvironment 1500. During the simultaneous presentation, first extendedreality appliance 1802 may present first virtual object 1706 (e.g.,corresponding to the game widget and classified as private information)and second virtual object 1702 (e.g., corresponding to the virtual plantand classified as public information) in physical environment 1500, andsecond extended reality appliance 1806 may present second virtual object1702 in physical environment 1500, omitting first virtual object 1706,in compliance with the privacy settings.

In some embodiments, the privacy settings classify as private a firstlocation associated with the first virtual object. A location associatedwith a virtual object may include a space within the physicalenvironment (e.g., measured as a set of contiguous pixels or voxels whenviewed through an extended reality appliance) defined for displaying thevirtual object, for linking (e.g., tethering) to the virtual object, forinterfacing with the virtual object, and/or for establishing any othertype of relationship (e.g., association) with the virtual object.Similarly, a location associated with a virtual object may include avirtual space within a virtual reality environment such as the metaverseor any other simulated environment. A location associated with a virtualobject may be absolute (e.g., independent of a location or orientationof an extended reality appliance used for viewing the associated virtualobject), or relative (e.g., dependent on a location or orientation of anextended reality appliance used for viewing the associated virtualobject). In some examples, the privacy settings may classify the firstlocation as private based on visual characteristics of the firstlocation, for example as described elsewhere in this disclosure. Privacysettings classifying as private a first location associated with thefirst virtual object may involve at least one processor accessingprivacy settings (e.g., associated with the first and/or second extendedreality appliances) and subjecting a first location associated with thefirst virtual object to the privacy settings (e.g., enforcing theprivacy settings on any object in the first location), thereby limitingor restricting the presentation of content at the first location. Insome embodiments, the at least one processor may designate the firstlocation as private based on the association with the first virtualobject. Thus, the designation for enforcing the privacy settings may belocation-based.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the privacy settings mayclassify first location 1504 as private (e.g., based on an associationwith first virtual object 1706). Consequently, other virtual objectslocated on first location 1504 may also be classified as private, basedon the association with first location 1504.

Some embodiments may involve designating other virtual objects in thefirst location as private. Designating may include specifying orcategorizing. Designating other virtual objects in the first location asprivate may include extending restrictions imposed by the privacysettings on the first virtual object (e.g., associated with the firstlocation) to additional virtual objects, based on the other virtualobjects being located at the first location. Some embodiments mayinvolve blocking the other virtual objects from display via the secondextended reality appliance. Blocking may include preventing, barring, orthwarting. Based on the designation of the first location as private(e.g., and therefore subject to the privacy settings), the at least oneprocessor may prevent the second extended reality appliance (e.g.,non-approved for presenting private information) from presenting othervirtual objects in the first location, e.g., by blocking access to datarequired for rendering other virtual objects in the first location.Enforcing the privacy settings on the first location may allow the firstextended reality appliance (e.g., approved for presenting privateinformation) to present the first virtual object and the other virtualobjects at the first location, and may block the second extended realityappliance (e.g., non-approved for presenting private information) frompresenting the first virtual object and the other virtual objects at thefirst location. Consequently, a first user using the first extendedreality appliance may view the first virtual object and the othervirtual objects in the first location, and a second user using thesecond extended reality appliance may see the physical environment viathe second extended reality appliance, absent the first virtual objectand the other virtual objects.

As an example, a first user and a second user may view a physicalenvironment through a first pair of smart glasses and a second pair ofsmart glasses, respectively. The first virtual object may be a personalcalendar, and the second virtual object may be spreadsheet shared by thefirst and second users. The personal calendar may be presented in aperipheral region of the physical environment (e.g., the first location)and the spread sheet may be presented in a central region of thephysical environment (e.g., the second location). The at least oneprocessor may classify the first location as private and enforce privacysettings on other virtual objects presented at the first location, suchas a chat box. By contrast, the at least one processor may withholdprivacy settings from the presentation of the spread sheet at the secondlocation. Consequently, only the first user may see the personalcalendar and the chat box in the first location via the first pair ofsmart glasses, whereas both the first and second users may view thespread sheet via the first and second pairs of smart glasses.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , based on theclassification of first location 1504 as private, the at least oneprocessor may classify virtual object 1704 (e.g., another virtualobject), also located on first location 1504, as private. The privateclassification may block first virtual object 1706 and virtual object1704 from being presented via second extended reality appliance 1806.

Some embodiments involve detecting a user-initiated movement of thefirst virtual object to a second location. A user-initiated movement mayinclude one or more of a gesture (e.g., a head, hand, finger, arm, orleg gesture) detectable by an image sensor, a motion by an electronicpointing device (e.g., a stylus or electronic mouse), a keyboard input(e.g., page up, page down, home, end, and/or text), a voice command(e.g., “move calendar to the right”) detectable by a microphone, and/orany other user input detectable via a user interface. Detecting auser-initiated movement of an object to a second location may include atleast one processor receiving a user input indicating a change inposition of an object from a first (e.g., private) location to a second(e.g., non-private) location. For example, the user-initiated movementmay include a selection of the first virtual object (e.g., using apointing device and/or a voice command) followed by a hand gestureindicating a motion from a first location to the second location. In oneexample, detecting a user-initiated movement of an object to a secondlocation may include analyzing image data (e.g., analyzing image datareceived from the image sensor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance). For example, the image data may be analyzed using avisual object detection algorithm to detect a position of the object,which may be used to determine movement of the object to the secondlocation. Further, a machine learning model may be trained usingtraining examples to determine whether movements of objects areuser-initiated movements (e.g., based on images and/or videos of theobjects in motion). An example of such training example may include asample video of a sample movement of a sample object, together with alabel indicating whether the sample movement is a user-initiatedmovement. The image data may be analyzed using the trained machinelearning model to determine whether the movement of the object to thesecond location is a user-initiated movement, thereby detecting theuser-initiated movement of the object to the second location.

Some embodiments may involve, in response to the user-initiatedmovement, enabling the second extended reality appliance to present thefirst virtual object and the second virtual object. For example, ifclassifying a virtual object as private is location-based (e.g., basedon the first location), moving the object to a different location (e.g.,a second location classified as non-private) may remove theclassification of the virtual object as private. Consequently, upondetecting a user moving the first (e.g., private) virtual object from afirst location (e.g., classified as private) to a second location (e.g.,not classified as private), the at least one processor may removerestrictions associated with the privacy settings from the first virtualobject, allowing the second extended reality appliance to access datafor presenting the first virtual at the second location. Although theabove example describes moving the first object from a first location(e.g. classified as private) to a second location (e.g., not classifiedas private), it is to be understood that a user may also be able toprovide inputs that may move the first object from a first location(e.g. classified as private) to a second, third, fourth, or any otherlocation (e.g., that may also be classified as private).

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 19illustrating system 1800 receiving one or more user-initiated inputs formodifying privacy settings, consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. The at least one processor may detect user 1510selecting first virtual object 1706 (e.g., using a pointing gesture) andmoving first virtual object 1706 from first location 1504 to secondlocation 1506 using a user-initiated movement 1900 (e.g., a handgesture). The user-initiated movement 1900 (e.g., including the pointand hand gesture) may be detected using image sensor 1514.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 20illustrating a third view 2008 via second extended reality appliance1806 after one or more virtual objects have been moved from the firstlocation to the second location, consistent with some disclosedembodiments. In response to user-initiated movement 1900 moving firstvirtual object 1706 from first location 1504 (e.g., the desk surface) tosecond location 1506 (e.g., the side-table), the at least one processormay enable second extended reality appliance 1806 to display view 2008presenting first virtual object 1706 and second virtual object 1702 atsecond location 1506.

Some embodiments involve detecting a user-initiated movement of thesecond virtual object to the first location. Detecting a user initiatedmovement of the second object to the first location may include at leastone processor receiving a user input selecting the second object andchanging the position of the second object from the second (e.g.,non-private) location to the first (e.g., private) location. The userinput may include any of the inputs described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. Some embodiments may involve, in response to theuser-initiated movement, preventing the second extended realityappliance from presenting the second virtual object. If classifying avirtual object as private is location-based, moving a virtual objectclassified as non-private (e.g., the second virtual object) to alocation classified as private (e.g., the first location) may cause themoved virtual object to be classified as private. As a result, thesecond virtual object may be blocked from being presented via anextended reality appliance non-approved (e.g., non-authorized) forpresenting private information. Thus, upon detecting a user moving thesecond virtual object (e.g. classified as non-private) to the firstlocation (e.g., classified as private), the at least one processor mayimpose the privacy settings on the second virtual object, blocking thesecond virtual object from being presented via the second extendedreality appliance.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , the at least oneprocessor may detect user 1510 selecting second virtual object 1702(e.g., via a pointing gesture) and moving second virtual object 1702from second location 1506 (e.g., the side-table) to first location 1504(e.g., the desk surface) via user-initiated movement 1902.User-initiated movement 1902 (e.g., including the pointing and handgesture) may be detected using image sensor 1514. In response, the atleast one processor may prevent second extended reality appliance frompresenting second virtual object 1702.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 21 ,illustrating a fourth view 2108 via second extended reality appliance1806 after one or more virtual objects have been moved from the secondlocation to the first location, consistent with some disclosedembodiments. In response to user-initiated movement 1902, moving secondvirtual object 1702 from (e.g., non-private) second location 1506 to(e.g., private) first location 1504, second virtual object 1702 may beabsent from view 2108 of physical environment 1500.

In some embodiments, the privacy settings classify the first virtualobject as private. Privacy settings classifying the first virtual objectas private may involve at least one processor accessing privacy settings(e.g., associated with the first and/or second extended realityappliances) and enforcing the privacy settings on the first virtualobject (e.g., independent of location) thereby limiting or restrictingthe presentation of the first virtual object (e.g., only via extendedreality appliances approved for presenting private information). In oneexample, digital signals associated with the first virtual object may bereceived. For example, the digital signals may be read from a memory,received from an external device (e.g., using a communications device),generated by at least one processor (for example, based on a geometricalmodel associated with the first virtual object), and so forth. Somenon-limiting examples of digital signals associated with the firstvirtual object may include digital display signals associated with thefirst virtual object, a digital three dimensional model associated withthe first virtual object, and so forth. Further, at least one processormay analyze digital signals associated with the first virtual object todetermine whether the privacy settings classify the first virtual objectas private. For example, a machine learning model may be trained usingtraining examples to determine whether virtual objects are private basedon digital signals. An example of such training example may include asample digital signal associated with a sample virtual object, togetherwith a label indicating whether the sample virtual object is private. Atleast one processor may use the trained machine learning model toanalyze the digital signals associated with the first virtual object anddetermine whether the privacy settings classify the first virtual objectas private.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may use the privacy settings to classify first virtual object1706 as private. In response, first virtual object 1706 may be visiblevia first extended reality appliance 1802 and may not be visible viasecond extended reality appliance 1806.

Some embodiments involve detecting a user-initiated movement of thefirst virtual object to a second location. Detecting a user initiatedmovement of the first virtual object to the second location may includeat least one processor receiving a user input indicating to change aposition of the first (e.g. private) object from the first location to asecond location. The user input may include any of the inputs describedelsewhere in this disclosure. Some embodiments involve, in response tothe user-initiated movement, preventing the second extended realityappliance from presenting the first virtual object at the secondlocation. As noted earlier, if the classification as private is based onthe first virtual object, moving the first virtual object from the firstlocation to a different location (e.g., the second location) may notaffect the classification of the first virtual object as private. Upondetecting a user initiating a movement of the first (e.g., private)virtual object away from the first location to the second location, theat least one processor may continue enforcing the privacy settings onthe first virtual object and may block the second extended realityappliance from accessing data for rendering the first virtual object. Insome embodiments, the second location may be associated with the second(e.g., non-private) virtual object, such that the first virtual objectand second virtual object may be viewed in the second location via thefirst extended reality appliance (e.g., approved for presenting privateinformation), whereas only the second virtual object may be viewed atthe second location via the second extended reality appliance (e.g.,non-approved for presenting private information).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , at least one processormay detect user-initiated movement 1900 for moving first virtual object1706 to second location 1506. Since first virtual object 1706 isclassified as private, in response to user-initiated movement 1900moving first virtual object 1706 from first location 1504 to secondlocation 1506, the at least one processor may deny second extendedreality appliance 1806 from presenting first virtual object 1706 atsecond location 1506, and the view of physical environment 1500 seen viasecond extended reality appliance 1806 may correspond to view 1808 ofFIG. 18 .

Some embodiments involve detecting a user-initiated movement of thesecond virtual object to a first location associated with the firstvirtual object. Detecting a user-initiated movement of the secondvirtual object to a first location associated with the first virtualobject may include at least one processor receiving a user inputindicating to change a position of the second (e.g., non-private) objectfrom the first location to a second location. The user input may includeany of the inputs described elsewhere in this disclosure. Someembodiments may involve enabling the second extended reality applianceto present the second virtual object at the first location. As notedearlier, if the classification as private is based on the first virtualobject, moving the second virtual object to the first location may notaffect the classification of the second virtual object as non-private.Upon detecting a user initiating a movement of the second (e.g.,non-private) virtual object from the second location to the firstlocation, the at least one processor may continue to allow the secondextended reality appliance to access data for presenting the secondvirtual object at the first location. Thus, the first virtual object andsecond virtual object may be viewed in the first location via the firstextended reality appliance (e.g., approved for presenting privateinformation), whereas only the second virtual object may be viewed atthe first location via the second extended reality appliance (e.g.,non-approved for presenting private information).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , at least one processormay detect user-initiated movement 1902 of second virtual object 1702 tofirst location 1504 associated with first virtual object 1706.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 22illustrating a fifth view 2208 via second extended reality appliance1806 after one or more virtual objects have been moved from the secondlocation to the first location, consistent with some disclosedembodiments. Upon classifying first virtual object 1706 (e.g., asprivate, in response to moving second virtual object 1702 from secondlocation 1506 (e.g., the side-table) to first location 1504 (e.g., thedesk surface), the at least one processor may enable second extendedreality appliance 1806 present second virtual object 1702 at firstlocation 1504.

Some embodiments involve the privacy settings further classifying atleast one of the second virtual object and a location of the secondvirtual object as public. Public may refer to a status or scope allowinginformation to be made available for viewing and/or sharing withoutrestriction, e.g., with the general population and/or generic device.For instance, classifying the second virtual object as public may allowthe first extended reality device (e.g., approved for presenting privateinformation) and the second extended reality device (e.g., non-approvedfor presenting private information) to access data for presenting thesecond virtual object (e.g., by storing the data at a server incommunication with the first and second extended reality devices, and bywithholding privacy settings). Similarly, classifying the location ofthe second virtual object as public may allow the first extended realitydevice (e.g., approved for presenting private information) and thesecond extended reality device (e.g., non-approved for presentingprivate information) to present data in the location of the secondvirtual object.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may apply the privacy settings to classify second virtualobject 1702 and/or second location 1506 (e.g., the second location) aspublic.

In some embodiments, the privacy settings classify a second locationassociated with the second virtual object as public. Privacy settingsclassifying a second location associated with the second virtual objectas public may involve at least one processor accessing privacy settings(e.g., associated with the first and/or second extended realityappliances) and determining, based on the privacy settings, that asecond location associated with the second virtual object lacksrestrictions related to privacy, thereby allowing content located in thesecond location to be viewed via the first extended reality appliance(e.g., approved for presenting private information) and the secondextended reality appliance (e.g., non-approved for presenting privateinformation). For example, the second location may be designated forsharing content for collaboration among multiple users via multipleextended reality appliances.

Some embodiments involve detecting a user-initiated movement of thefirst virtual object to the second location and in response to theuser-initiated movement, enabling the second extended reality applianceto present the first virtual object. For example, if the classificationas public is based on the second location, moving the first (e.g.,private) virtual object from the first location to the second (e.g.,public) location may declassify the first virtual object, allowing thefirst virtual object to be viewed by a non-authorized extended realityappliance (e.g., non-approved for presenting private information). Thus,upon detecting a user initiating a movement of the first object to thesecond location, the at least one processor may refrain from imposingprivacy restrictions on the first virtual object and may permit thesecond extended reality appliance to access data for presenting thefirst virtual object in the second location. Consequently, the first(e.g., declassified) virtual object and the second (e.g., non-private)virtual object may be viewed via the first extended reality appliance(e.g., approved for presenting private information) and also by thesecond extended reality appliance (e.g., non-approved for presentingprivate information).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may apply the privacy settings to classify second location1506 associated with second virtual object 1702 as public. In FIG. 19 ,the at least one processor may detect user-initiated movement 1900(e.g., a hand gesture) for moving first virtual object 1706 from firstlocation 1504 (e.g., classified as private) to second location 1506(e.g., classified as public). In FIG. 20 , in response to user-initiatedmovement 1900, the at least one processor may enable second extendedreality appliance 1806 to present first virtual object 1706 at secondlocation 1506.

In some embodiments, enabling the simultaneous presentation includescausing the second extended reality appliance to present the secondvirtual object at a second location associated with the second virtualobject and to present a distorted representation of the first virtualobject at the location of the first virtual object in compliance withthe privacy settings. A distorted representation of a virtual object mayinclude an obscured, blurred, pixelated, and/or redacted version of avirtual object, such that one or more selected features of the virtualobject may be hidden from view. For instance, the first virtual objectmay include some information classified as private and some informationclassified as non-private. The privacy settings may allow the secondextended reality appliance (e.g., non-approved for accessing privateinformation) to present a version of the first (e.g., semi-private)virtual object in a manner that hides the private information from view,while revealing the non-private information. The second extended realityappliance may present the second (e.g., non-private) virtual object inthe second location and the distorted first (e.g., semi-private) virtualobject in the first location. For instance, the first virtual object maybe a replica of a child and the distorted representation may obscure theface of the child but allow viewing non-facial features of the child. Asanother example, the first virtual object may include private andnon-private text, and the distorted representation may redact theprivate text while allowing for viewing of the non-private text.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 23illustrating a sixth view 2308 via second extended reality appliance1806, consistent with some disclosed embodiments. in FIG. 23 , the atleast one processor may cause second extended reality appliance 1806 topresent second virtual object 1702 at second location 1506 (e.g., theside-table) and present a distorted presentation 2300 of first virtualobject 1706 (not shown) at first location 1504, in compliance with theprivacy settings. For instance, distorted presentation 2300 may includehashed markings to obfuscate first virtual object 1706.

Some embodiments involve presenting via the wearable extended realityappliance at least one of an indication that the first virtual object isclassified as private, an indication that a location associated with thefirst virtual object is classified as private and an indication that atleast one of the first virtual object and the location associated withthe first virtual object is classified as private. An indication that anobject is classified as private may include a visual cue or signcommunicating that an object is classified as private. For example, thefirst object may be displayed using a highlight, a backlight, encircled,using grey-scale (e.g., non-color), with an accompanying label or icon(e.g., “private”), with a flickering or flashing warning light, or anyother type of indication conveying that the first virtual object isintended for private consumption. An indication that a locationassociated with a virtual object is classified as private may include avisual cue or sign communicating that a location and/or any content(e.g., virtual content) associated therewith may be restricted andhandled as private information. For example, the location may behighlighted, backlit, encircled, and/or labeled as private, and/or anyvirtual object positioned within the location, docked to the location,and/or otherwise linked to the location may be highlighted backlit,encircled, and/or labeled as private. Similarly, an indication that atleast one of the first virtual object and the location associatedtherewith is classified as private may include one or both of theindications described above.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may present via wearable extended reality appliance 1802 anindication 1816 that one or more of first virtual object 1706 and/orfirst location 1504 (e.g., the first location) are classified asprivate.

Some embodiments may involve receiving an input identifying a specificregion of the physical environment as private. An input identifying aspecific region of the physical environment may include one or more ofthe inputs described elsewhere in this disclosure, where the input maydelineate, select, or otherwise define a region within a physicalenvironment as private. For instance, the input may include a gestureusing an electronic pointing device outlining a region, simultaneouslyaccompanied by a voice command (e.g., “private”) or by a hand gesture(e.g., a finger touching the lips) indicating the specified region asprivate. As another example, the input may include an image of aspecific region in the physical environment (e.g., a cropped image)capture by an image sensor and tagged as private. Upon receiving theinput, at least one processor may apply privacy settings to the specificregion and/or any virtual content associated therewith to restrictaccess therein only to authorized users and/or devices (e.g., the firstextended reality appliance). In some examples, the input identifying aspecific region of the physical environment as private may include imagedata received from an image sensor associated with a wearable extendedreality appliance. The image data may be analyzed (e.g., in relation tothe privacy settings and the physical location associated with a virtualobject, as described elsewhere in this disclosure) to determine that thespecific region of the physical environment is private.

In some embodiments, the received input includes the image data. Forexample, at least one processor may receive image data from an imagesensor (e.g., a camera) associated with a wearable extended realityappliance as an image or a sequence of images. In some embodiments, theimage sensor may be integrated with the wearable extended realityappliance. In some embodiments, the image sensor may be separate and incommunication with the wearable extended reality appliance. For instancethe image sensor may be located on a surface in the physical environmentwith the wearable extended reality appliance.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , the at least oneprocessor may receive an input as user-initiated movement 1904 (e.g., acircling hand gesture) indicating the region of physical environment1500 enclosed by user-initiated movement 1904 as private. The at leastone processor may receive the image data from image sensor 1514 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data to identify a gestureinitiated by a wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance thatidentifies the specific region of the physical environment as private.Analyzing image data may include applying one or more image processingtechniques (e.g., filters, transformations, feature extraction,clustering, pattern recognition, edge detection, fast FourierTransforms, convolutions, and/or any other type of image processingtechnique) and/or artificial intelligence (e.g., machine learning, deeplearning, neural networks) to extract information from image data. Agesture may refer to a form of communication in which bodily actions ormovements communicate information for detection by a sensor (e.g., imagesensor 472 and/or motion sensor of FIG. 4 ). Examples of gestures mayinclude bodily motions by the head, eye, arm, hand, finger, torso, leg,and/or foot. Identifying a gesture initiated by a wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance may include analyzing a sequence of images ofthe wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance performing agesture to discern a gesture, comparing the gesture to a library ofpredefined (e.g., known) gestures stored in memory, and finding amatching gesture associated with designating a specific region of thephysical environment as private. For example, at least one processor mayreceive a sequence of images (e.g., image data) from a camera integratedwith a wearable extended reality appliance of the user performing agesture. The at least one processor may analyze the sequence of imagesand identify a pointing gesture designating a desk surface as private.In response to the designation, the at least one processor may applyprivacy settings to any virtual content associated with the desk surfaceto restrict access to the virtual content solely to authorized entities(e.g., the user of the first extended reality appliance).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , the at least oneprocessor may analyze the image data received from image sensor 1514 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512 to identify user-initiatedmovement 1904 initiated by user 1510. User-initiated movement 1904 mayencircle the specific region of first location 1504 to indicate thisregion of physical environment 1500 as private. Consequently, the atleast one processor may apply the privacy settings to virtual objectslocated at first location 1504.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data using an objectdetection algorithm to detect a physical object in the specific regionof the physical environment, and identifying the specific region of thephysical environment as private based on the detected physical object. Aphysical object may include a real (e.g. tangible) object, e.g., subjectto the laws of physics. Some examples of a physical object in a specificregion of a physical environment may include a desk against a wall of aroom, a corner shelf, a person (e.g., or part thereof, such as a face),or an animal (e.g., a pet dog or bird). Analyzing image data using anobject detection algorithm to detect a physical object may includeperforming one or more of the image processing and/or artificialintelligence techniques described elsewhere in this disclosure to imagedata of the physical environment for the purpose of identifying aphysical object therein. In some embodiments, the physical object may bea person, or an identifying feature thereof, and analyzing image datamay include applying a facial recognition algorithm. Identifying thespecific region of the physical environment as private based on thedetected physical object may include performing one or more operationsincluding, for example, identifying a physical object, and associatingthe identified physical object with one or more privacy settings. Theoperations may further include, determining a region containing and/orwithin a predefined range of the physical object, and/or applying one ormore privacy settings to the region. For example, at least one processormay receive image data from a camera integrated with a wearable extendedreality appliance of a surface of a desk. The at least one processor maydetect the desk surface by analyzing the image data, and may associatethe surface and any virtual object located on the surface (e.g., avirtual family photo, a virtual diary, or a virtual game) with privacysettings to restrict access thereto.

As another example, the physical object may be a person (e.g., a child),or an object associated therewith (e.g., a stroller or crib). Uponidentifying the child in the image data, the at least one processor mayapply privacy settings to the region including and surrounding thechild. As another example, the physical object may include text data(e.g., a whiteboard, a digital display screen, a notebook, or a sheet ofpaper, and so forth). Upon analyzing the text data and identifyingprivate information (e.g., using an Optical Character Recognitionalgorithm and/or human language interpreting or comprehension algorithm,such as a Natural Language Processing algorithm) the at least oneprocessor may apply privacy settings to the region including the textdata.

In some embodiments, in addition to applying privacy settings to one ormore virtual objects, one or more privacy setting may be applied to oneor more physical objects. For example, the at least one processor mayobfuscate the face of the child, or a private text document when viewedvia an extended reality appliance non-approved for presenting privateinformation.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 15 , the at least oneprocessor may analyze the image data received from image sensor 1514 todetect computer display 1502 (e.g., a physical object) on first location1504 (e.g., the specific region) of physical environment 1500. Forinstance, the at least one processor may use an object recognitionsoftware to detect computer display 1502. The at least one processor mayidentify first location 1504 based on the detection of computer display1502.

In some embodiments, the physical object is moveable. A moveablephysical object may include an object that may be unanchored orunattached to a fixed object in a physical environment and may berelocated or repositioned from a first location to a second, differentlocation. Examples of moveable physical objects may include objectsunattached to a wall, floor, and/or ceiling of a physical environment,motile objects (e.g., a human, an animal, or a robot), and/or an objectmoveable by a human, animal, or robot. Some examples of a moveablephysical object may include a mobile communications device, a notebook,a coffee mug, a programming duck, a picture frame, and/or any otherphysical object capable of being moved in a physical environment.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data to identify a movementof the physical object out of the specific region of the physicalenvironment, and reclassifying the specific region of the physicalenvironment as public in response to the movement of the physicalobject. Identifying a movement of the physical object out of thespecific region of the physical environment may include receiving animage sequence of the physical object over a time period, analyzing afirst portion of the image sequence to detect the physical object inside(e.g., included in) the specific region, and analyzing a second portionof the image sequence following the first portion to detect the physicalobject removed (e.g., absent) from the specific region. Reclassifyingmay include performing a second classification operation (e.g., after afirst classification operation) to change one or more associatedattributes (e.g., a status, a type, a setting, a privacy setting, and/ordefinition). Reclassifying the specific region as public may causerevoking, overriding, and/or cancelling one or more privacy settingsassociated with one or more (e.g., virtual and/or physical) objectslocated in the specific region to enable access by non-authorized usersand/or devices. The reclassification of the specific region as publicmay be based on the physical object being absent from the specificregion.

For example, at least one processor may apply privacy settings to aregion surrounding a child, such that any virtual and/or physical objectwithin a predefined distance of the child may be obfuscated from viewvia an extended reality appliance non-approved for presenting privateinformation. However, removing the child from the specific region maycause the at least one processor to revoke the privacy settingsassociated with the specific region, allowing any virtual and/orphysical objects remaining in the specific region to be viewed via anyextended reality appliance (e.g., including appliances non-approved forpresenting private information).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 15 , computer display 1502(e.g., a physical object) may be moveable. The at least one processormay analyze the image data (e.g., received from image sensor 1514 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512 to identify the removal ofcomputer display 1502 from first location 1504 (e.g., classified asprivate based on the presence of computer display 1502) to secondlocation 1506. In response to the removal of computer display 1502 fromfirst location 1504, the at least one processor may reclassify firstlocation 1504 as public.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is made to FIG. 24illustrating a seventh view 2404 via first extended reality appliance1802 and an eight view 2408 via second extended reality appliance 1806after removal of computer display 1502 (e.g., a physical object) fromfirst location 1504 to second location 1506 (e.g., the second location),consistent with some disclosed embodiments. After reclassifying firstlocation 1504 as public, first extended reality appliance 1802 maypresent seventh view 2404 of physical environment 1500 including virtualobjects 1704, 1706 above first location 1504 (e.g., reclassified aspublic), and second virtual object 1702 adjacent to computer display1502 at second location 1506 (e.g., classified as private based onproximity to computer display 1502). Second extended reality appliance1806 may present eight view 2408 of physical environment 1500 includingvirtual objects 1704, 1706 at first location 1504 (e.g., reclassified aspublic), and computer display 1502 at second location 1506 (e.g.,classified as private). Notably, second virtual object 1702 may beabsent from eight view 2408, due to reclassification of second location1506 as private based on proximity to computer display 1502.

Some embodiments involve classifying the first virtual object as privatewhen a location of the first virtual object is within the specificregion of the physical environment. For example, once the specificregion has been identified as private, moving an object to the specificregion may cause the at least one processor to apply one or more privacysettings to the object. For instance, a user may designate a desktop asa specific private region of the physical environment. Placing one ormore virtual objects (e.g., a photograph, or a personal schedule) in thespecific region may cause the at least one processor to apply theprivacy settings to the virtual objects, prevent access by extendedreality appliances non-approved for presenting private information.

Some embodiments involve classifying the first virtual object as privatewhen a distance of the first virtual object from the specific region ofthe physical environment is less than a threshold distance A distancemay refer to a spatial distance (e.g., measured in a two orthree-dimensional coordinate system). A distance less than a thresholddistance from a specific region may refer to a buffer zone or tolerancesurrounding the specific region, such that any object located inside thebuffer zone surrounding the specific region may be subject to the sameprivacy settings as an object located inside the specific region. Forexample, the at least one processor may add a buffer zone for addedsecurity if the designation of the specific region is an approximation.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , the at least oneprocessor may classify first virtual object 1706 as private when thelocation of first virtual object 1706 is positioned on first location1504 (e.g., indicated as private by user 1510) of physical environment1500, and/or when the distance between first virtual object 1706 andfirst location 1504 is less than a threshold distance (e.g., 30 cm asmeasured in pixels via first extended reality appliance 1802 (see FIG.18 ).

Some embodiments involve classifying the second virtual object as publicwhen a distance of the second virtual object from the specific region ofthe physical environment is greater than a threshold distance A distancegreater than a threshold distance from a specific region may refer to alocation outside a buffer zone or tolerance surrounding the specificregion, such that any object located external to the buffer zone may befree of the privacy settings imposed inside the specific region.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may classify second virtual object 1702 as public when adistance between second virtual object 1702 and first location 1504(e.g., specified as private) is greater than a threshold distance (e.g.,30 cm as measured in pixels via second extended reality appliance 1806(see FIG. 18 ).

Some embodiments involve reclassifying the first virtual object aspublic when a location of the first virtual object changes from thespecific region to a location outside the specific region of thephysical environment. Reclassifying the first virtual object as publicmay include removing or revoking one or more privacy settings preventingaccess to the first virtual object such that the first virtual objectmay be presented by an extended reality appliance non-approved forpresenting private information. For instance, upon receiving an inputidentifying a specific region in the physical environment as private,removing a virtual object from the specific region may declassify thevirtual object, allowing access to the virtual object by non-authorizedusers via non-authorized extended reality appliances.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 20 , the at least oneprocessor may reclassify first virtual object 1706 as public when thelocation of first virtual object 1706 changes from first location 1504to second location 1506 (e.g., via user-initiated movement 1900, asshown in FIG. 19 ), outside the specific region defined byuser-initiated movement 1904 of physical environment 1500.

Some embodiments involve classifying the first virtual object as privatewhen the first virtual object is docked to a physical object included inthe specific region of the physical environment. Docked may refer tolocked, anchored, or tethered, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. In some embodiments, a presentation of a virtual objectdocked to a physical object may be configured to move with the physicalobject in the environment. A virtual object may be docked to a physicalobject automatically (e.g., by association with the physical object) orin response to a user command. For example, a virtual calendar stored ona mobile device and presented via a wearable extended reality appliancepaired to the mobile device may be automatically docked to the mobiledevice. Additionally, or alternatively, a user of an extended realityappliance may instruct at least one processor to dock a virtual objectto a physical object (e.g., “dock calendar to desk”). Docking one ormore virtual objects to a physical object included in a region specifiedas private may cause the at least one processor to apply privacysettings to the one or more docked virtual objects (e.g., even if adocked virtual object is located external to the specific region).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 19 , the at least oneprocessor may classify first virtual object 1706 as private when firstvirtual object 1706 is docked to computer display 1502 located in theregion of first location 1504 of physical environment 1500 defined byuser-initiated movement 1904. For instance, user 1510 may cause firstvirtual object 1706 to be docked to computer display 1502 using a userinput command.

In some embodiments, the physical object is movable and wherein duringthe simultaneous presentation, other virtual objects in proximity to acurrent location of the physical object are also blocked from displayvia the second extended reality appliance. Proximity may refer toneighboring or nearby (e.g., lying within a threshold distance). Acurrent location may refer to a location at a particular point in time.A physical object (e.g., initially included in a region specified forprivate information) may be used to designate one or more virtualobjects based on proximity to the physical object, such that moving thephysical object (e.g., causing the location of the physical object tochange over time) may impose privacy settings on any virtual objectlocated within a threshold distance of the physical object at a givenpoint in time. In other words, in some embodiments, the physical objectmay be used to transport privacy settings to any location in thephysical environment such that the privacy settings may be applied toany object located within the threshold distance from the physicalobject.

For example, as a child (e.g., a moveable physical object) walks arounda room, the at least one processor may apply privacy settings to anyvirtual object within a threshold distance of the current position ofthe child, blocking those virtual objects from being presented viaextended reality appliances non-approved for presenting privateinformation.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 24 , computer display 1502(e.g., a physical object) may be moved from the region of first location1504 defined by user-initiated movement 1904 (shown in FIG. 19 andclassified as private) to second location 1506 (e.g., classified aspublic). However, moving computer display 1502 may transport privacysettings from the region of first location 1504 to second location 1506.Consequently, during the simultaneous presentation of seventh view 2404via first extended reality appliance 1802 and eighth view 2408 viasecond extended reality appliance 1806, second virtual object 1702(e.g., previously classified as public) currently in proximity tocomputer display 1502 (e.g., associated with classifying virtual objectsas private) may be blocked from display via second extended realityappliance 1806.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data using an objectdetection algorithm to detect a physical object in a particular regionof the physical environment, and classifying the particular region ofthe physical environment as public based on the detected physicalobject. For instance, certain physical objects may be associated withpublic information (e.g., a plasma or LCD screen hung on a wall andconfigured for collaborative sharing by anyone within viewing distance).

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , the at least oneprocessor may analyze the image data received from image sensor 1514 ofwearable extended reality appliance 1512 (e.g., using an objectdetection algorithm) and detect computer display 1502 (e.g., configuredfor collaborative file sharing by multiple users). The at least oneprocessor may classify the region of computer display 1502 as public,allowing users of first extended reality appliance 1802 and secondextended reality appliance 1806 to simultaneously view computer display1502 (e.g., and prevent second extended reality appliance 1806 fromobfuscating a region of the display aligned with computer display 1502).

FIG. 25 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 2500 formanaging privacy in an extended reality environment, consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, process 2500may be performed by at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460)to perform operations or functions described herein. In someembodiments, some aspects of process 2500 may be implemented as software(e.g., program codes or instructions) that are stored in a memory (e.g.,memory device 411 of extended reality unit 204, shown in FIG. 4 ) or anon-transitory computer readable medium. In some embodiments, someaspects of process 2500 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., aspecific-purpose circuit). In some embodiments, process 2500 may beimplemented as a combination of software and hardware.

Referring to FIG. 25 , process 2500 includes a step 2502 of receivingimage data from an image sensor associated with a wearable extendedreality appliance, the image data is reflective of a physicalenvironment. By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 15 , image sensor1514 integrated with wearable extended reality appliance 1512 maycapture multiple images of physical environment 1500. Process 2500includes a step 2504 of accessing data characterizing a plurality ofvirtual objects for association with locations in the physicalenvironment, the data representing a first virtual object and a secondvirtual object. By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 2 , processingdevice 460 (shown in FIG. 4 ) of wearable extended reality appliance1512 may access data structure 212 via communications network 214, thedata characterizing virtual objects 1700 to 1706 (shown in FIG. 17 ). InFIG. 17 , virtual objects 1700 to 1706 may be associated with differentlocations in physical environment 1500 (e.g., any of first location 1504and second location 1506). Process 2500 includes a step 2506 ofaccessing privacy settings classifying at least one of the first virtualobject and a location of the first virtual object as private,classifying a first extended reality appliance as approved forpresentation of private information, and classifying a second extendedreality appliance as non-approved for presentation of the privateinformation. By way of a non-limiting, in FIG. 2 , processing device 460of wearable extended reality appliance 1512 may access private settingsfrom data structure 212 via communications network 214. In FIG. 18 ,processing device 460 may apply the privacy settings to classify virtualobject 1706 and/or first location 1504 as private, and extended realityappliance 1802 as approved for presenting private information, and toclassify the extended reality appliance as non-approved for presentingprivate information. Process 2500 includes a step 2508 of simultaneouslyenabling a presentation of an augmented viewing of the physicalenvironment, such that during the simultaneous presentation, the firstextended reality appliance presents the first virtual object and thesecond virtual object in the physical environment, and the secondextended reality appliance presents the second virtual object, omittingpresentation of the first virtual object in compliance with the privacysettings. By way of a non-limiting, in FIG. 18 , processing device 460of wearable extended reality appliance 1512 may enable extended realityappliances 1802 and 1806 to simultaneously view differing views 1804 and1808, respectively, of physical environment 1500. View 1804 presentedvia first extended reality appliances 1802 may present (e.g., private)first virtual object 1706 at first location 1504 and (e.g., public)second virtual object 1702 at second location 1506. View 1808 presentedvia second extended reality appliances 1806 may only present (e.g.,public) second virtual object 1702 at second location 1506, omittingpresenting (e.g., private) first virtual object 1706 from first location1504.

Some embodiments involve a system for managing privacy in an extendedreality environment, the system comprising: at least one processingdevice configured to: receive image data from an image sensor associatedwith a wearable extended reality appliance, the image data is reflectiveof a physical environment; access data characterizing a plurality ofvirtual objects for association with locations in the physicalenvironment, the data representing a first virtual object and a secondvirtual object; access privacy settings classifying at least one of thefirst virtual object and a location of the first virtual object asprivate, classifying a first extended reality appliance as approved forpresentation of private information, and classifying a second extendedreality appliance as non-approved for presentation of the privateinformation; and simultaneously enable a presentation of an augmentedviewing of the physical environment, such that during the simultaneouspresentation, the first extended reality appliance presents the firstvirtual object and the second virtual object in the physicalenvironment, and the second extended reality appliance presents thesecond virtual object, omitting presentation of the first virtual objectin compliance with the privacy settings.

By way of a non-limiting example, in FIG. 18 , system 1800 includes atleast one processing device (e.g., one or more of processing device 460of FIG. 4 associated with wearable extended reality appliance 1512,first extended reality appliance 1802, and/or second extended realityappliance 1806, and/or remote processing unit 208). The at least oneprocessing device may receive image data from image sensor 1514associated with wearable extended reality appliance 1512. The image datamay be reflective of physical environment 1500. The at least oneprocessor may access data (e.g., from at least one memory device 411 ofFIG. 4 and/or data structure 212 of FIG. 2 ) characterizing a pluralityof virtual objects (e.g., virtual objects 1700, 1702, 1704, and 1706)for association with first location 1504 and second location 1506 inphysical environment 1500. The data may represent at least first virtualobject 1706 and second virtual object 1702. The at least one processormay access privacy settings classifying at least one of first virtualobject 1706 and first location 1504 of first virtual object 1706 asprivate. The at least one processor may classify first extended realityappliance 1802 as approved for presentation of private information. Theat least one processor may classify second extended reality appliance1806 as non-approved for presentation of the private information. The atleast one processor may simultaneously enable a presentation of anaugmented viewing (e.g., first view 1804 via first extended realityappliance 1802 and second view 1808 via second extended realityappliance 1806) of physical environment 1500, such that during thesimultaneous presentation, first extended reality appliance 1802presents first virtual object 1706 and second virtual object 1702 inphysical environment 1500, and second extended reality appliance 1806presents second virtual object 1702, omitting presentation of firstvirtual object 1706 in compliance with the privacy settings.

A wearer of a wearable extended reality appliance may only be able toview extended reality objects and the physical environment (or arepresentation of the physical environment) where the wearer is locatedwithin a certain field of view. For example, the wearer's field of viewmay be limited to the field of view enabled by the wearable extendedreality appliance. As another example, the wearer's field of view mayextend to a limit of the wearer's field of view (i.e., the wearer'smaximum possible field of view). However, the extended realityenvironment may include another extended reality object that is notwithin the wearer's current field of view. For example, an extendedreality object may be behind the wearer such that the wearer cannot seethe extended reality object based on the direction in which the weareris looking (i.e., the extended reality object is outside the wearer'scurrent field of view).

A viewer (e.g., a person not wearing the wearable extended realityappliance or the wearer at a later point in time) may be able to seeparts of the extended reality environment not currently visible to thewearer. For example, the viewer may view the extended realityenvironment from a perspective facing the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance and as such, the viewer may be able to seeextended reality objects that the wearer cannot see.

As another example, if the wearer is playing a flight simulator game,the wearer will be in the position of a pilot of an airplane and thewearer's field of view (and also point of view) will be from theposition of the pilot. If the wearer wants to later view the flight froma different point of view (e.g., from a point of view of a personoutside the airplane), the flight simulator session may be recorded forlater playback by the wearer or by another viewer. As another example,it may be possible for the other viewer to view the flight simulationfrom a different perspective (i.e., from outside the airplane) inreal-time while the wearer is viewing the flight simulation from theposition of the pilot.

As another example, viewers enjoy watching people play video games; forexample, a first-person shooter style game. Consistent with the presentdisclosure, the wearer may be a person playing the first-person shootergame and the viewer may be a person watching the wearer play the game.As will be described herein, the viewer may be able to select a desiredpoint of view to watch the wearer play the game. For example, the viewermay select between the wearer's point of view, a bird's-eye view of theextended reality environment where the wearer is, or a perspective viewof the extended reality environment from a viewer-selected angle.

A non-transitory computer readable medium contains instructions thatwhen executed by at least one processor cause the at least one processorto perform operations for capturing extended reality environments. Theterms “non-transitory computer readable medium,” “processor,” and“extended reality environment are defined elsewhere in this disclosure.In some embodiments, the operations are part of a method for capturingextended reality environments. In some embodiments, the operations areperformed by a system including at least one processing deviceconfigured to perform the method.

The at least one processor may include one or more of processing device360, processing device 460, or processing device 560, either alone orworking in combination based on a work-sharing arrangement. In someembodiments, the at least one processor may include any processorconfigured to execute computer programs, applications, methods,processes, or other software as described herein.

The term “capturing” may include viewing in real-time and/or recordingfor viewing at a later time. Viewing the extended reality environment inreal-time may include viewing the extended reality environment whileusing a wearable extended reality appliance or by viewing the extendedreality environment through an external device, such as a displaylocated separate from the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g.,display 352 of input unit 202). Similarly, viewing the extended realityenvironment at a later time may be done via the wearable extendedreality appliance or through an external device. For example, the storedrecording may be selected through a user interface element accessiblevia the wearable extended reality appliance or the external device. Therecording of the extended reality environment may be stored locally onthe wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., in memory device 411 ordatabase 480) or stored externally on input unit 202 (e.g., in memorydevice 311 or database 380), on remote processing unit 208 (e.g., inmemory device 511 or database 580), or on another external storagedevice (e.g., in a cloud computing environment) that may be accessiblevia communications network 214. The extended reality environment may bea completely simulated virtual environment or may be a combined real-and-virtual environment that a viewer may perceive from differentperspectives, as will be described in detail below.

In some embodiments, the operations include receiving image datarepresenting at least a 140 degrees field of view of a physicalenvironment, the image data being received from at least one imagesensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance. The imagedata may represent any type of depiction in any form or format,including but not limited to grayscale images, color images, 2D images,3D images, videos, 2D videos, 3D videos, frames, footages, data derivedfrom other image data, and so forth. Examples of formats include GIF,JPEG, PNG, SVG, WebP, BMP, ICO, and TIFF.

The field of view may include a viewing area of a wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance, relative to where the wearer is looking. Forexample, a 140 degree field of view may represent a horizontal width ofa human's field of vision from a center point based on where thewearer's eyes are focused (e.g., 70 degrees to the left and 70 degreesto the right of where the wearer's eyes are focused). As anotherexample, the 140 degree field of view may represent a horizontal widthof the field of view of the wearable extended reality appliance or ofthe image sensor. It is noted that other horizontal widths of the fieldof view are contemplated within the scope of this disclosure. Forexample, the horizontal width of the field of view may extend to 210degrees, which may be a limit of human perception for the horizontalwidth of the field of view.

The physical environment includes a location where a wearer of thewearable extended reality appliance is present while wearing thewearable extended reality appliance. For example, the physicalenvironment may include a room in which the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance may be standing or sitting. As anotherexample, the physical environment may include a portion of an outdoorlocation occupied by the wearer of the wearable extended realityappliance.

The at least one image sensor may include any device configured tocapture visual information by converting light to image data, asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, the at least oneimage sensor may include a camera, a semiconductor Charge-Coupled Device(CCD), an active pixel sensor in Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor(CMOS), or an N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (NMOS, Live MOS). The atleast one image sensor may be associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance such that the wearable extended reality appliance mayreceive image data from the at least one image sensor. The image sensormay be included in the wearable extended reality appliance, included inanother wearable device associated with the wearable extended realityappliance and configured to transmit image data to the wearable extendedreality appliance, included in an input device associated with thewearable extended reality appliance and configured to transmit imagedata to the wearable extended reality appliance, or located in adifferent device (e.g., input device 202 or other device) in anenvironment of the wearer such as the different device being located inthe physical environment where the wearer is located.

In some embodiments, the at least one image sensor includes a pluralityof image sensors. The plurality of image sensors may be associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance in a similar manner as describedabove. The plurality of image sensors may each be a same type of imagesensor or may be different types of image sensor.

In some embodiments, the at least one image sensor includes a singleimage sensor configured to sequentially capture differing portions ofthe field of view. For example, the singe image sensor may capturedifferent images of the field of view as the wearer moves in thephysical environment, such as by the wearer turning their head or bymoving within the physical environment. For example, if the width of thefield of view is 140 degrees about a point of focus (e.g., extendingfrom 70 degrees to the wearer's left of the point of focus to 70 degreesto the wearer's right of the point of focus), then as the wearer turnstheir head, the point of focus shifts in the direction that the wearerturns their head, thus sequentially capturing differing portions of thefield of view.

The wearable extended reality appliance may include any type of deviceor system that enables a user to perceive and/or interact with anextended reality environment. For example, the wearable extended realityappliance may include a head-mounted device, smart glasses, smartcontact lenses, headsets, or any other device worn by a human forpurposes of presenting an extended reality environment to the human.

In some embodiments, the operations include virtually associating atleast two extended reality objects with a composite perspective of thephysical environment, wherein the at least two extended reality objectsare spaced apart by at least 140 degrees from a point of view of thewearable extended reality appliance. An extended reality object mayinclude a virtual object, as defined elsewhere in this disclosure, or aphysical object rendered in the extended reality environment. Theextended reality object may be present in the extended realityenvironment such that the wearer of the wearable extended realityappliance may view and/or interact with the extended reality object. Theterm “virtually associating” the extended reality objects with thephysical environment means rendering the extended reality objects in theextended reality environment such that the viewer (either the wearer ofthe wearable extended reality appliance or another viewer) is permittedto view the extended reality objects as if those objects were located inthe physical environment. For example, as shown in FIG. 26 and describedfurther below, second extended reality object 2610 may be positioned inthe extended reality environment to appear on top of cabinet 2602. Insome examples, the received image data of the physical environment maybe analyzed to associate the at least two extended reality objects withthe composite perspective of the physical environment. For example, theimage data may be analyzed using an object detection algorithm to detectpositions of physical objects in the physical environment, and eachextended reality object may be associated with a position in thephysical environment and/or in the composite perspective of the physicalenvironment based on the position of at least one physical object in thephysical environment. In another example, the image data may be analyzedusing a classification algorithm and/or a scene recognition algorithm todetermine a type associated with the physical environment, and the atleast two extended reality objects may be selected of a plurality ofalternative extended reality objects based on the determined type. Insome examples, the composite perspective of the physical environment maybe analyzed to associate the at least two extended reality objects withthe composite perspective of the physical environment. For example, thecomposite perspective of the physical environment may be analyzed usingan object detection algorithm to detect positions of physical objects inthe physical environment and/or in the composite perspective of thephysical environment, and each extended reality object may be associatedwith a position in the physical environment and/or in the compositeperspective of the physical environment based on the position of atleast one physical object. In another example, the composite perspectiveof the physical environment may be analyzed using a classificationalgorithm and/or a scene recognition algorithm to determine a typeassociated with the physical environment, and the at least two extendedreality objects may be selected of a plurality of alternative extendedreality objects based on the determined type. In some examples, thereceived image data of the physical environment and/or the compositeperspective of the physical environment may be analyzed using a machinelearning model to associate the at least two extended reality objectswith the composite perspective of the physical environment. For example,such machine learning model may be a result of training a machinelearning algorithm with training examples. An example of such trainingexample may include a sample image of a sample physical environment,together with a label indicating a sample association of sample extendedreality objects with a sample composite perspective of the samplephysical environment. Another example of such training example mayinclude a sample composite perspective of a sample physical environment,together with a label indicating a sample association of sample extendedreality objects with the sample composite perspective of the samplephysical environment.

The term “composite perspective of the physical environment” may includereal-time images of the physical environment; previously captured imagesof the physical environment; artificially generated images of a least aportion of the physical environment (as will be described below); or acombination thereof.

FIG. 26 is an exemplary perspective view showing a wearer of a wearableextended reality appliance in a physical environment 2600 and twoextended reality objects, consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. Physical environment 2600 may include physicalobjects, such as a cabinet 2602 and a table 2604. A wearer 2606 wearingthe wearable extended reality appliance is standing in physicalenvironment 2600.

Wearer 2606 may hold a first extended reality object 2608, shown in FIG.26 as a bouquet of flowers. A second extended reality object 2610 may bepositioned to appear on top of cabinet 2602, shown in FIG. 26 as ananimated figure. The positioning of the first extended reality object2608 (appearing in the wearer's hand) and the second extended realityobject 2610 may be such that a field of view 2612 of wearer 2606 may notbe wide enough for wearer 2606 to be able to see both first extendedreality object 2608 and second extended reality object 2610. In someembodiments, wearer 2606 may be able to see second extended realityobject 2610 if second extended reality object 2610 is within field ofview 2612. For example, as shown in FIG. 26 , if wearer 2606 turns farenough to their right, second extended reality object 2610 would bewithin field of view 2612.

In some embodiments, the operations further include constructing thecomposite perspective of the physical environment from image datacaptured by the plurality of image sensors. The plurality of imagesensors may be located on the wearable extended reality appliance, inthe physical environment separate from the wearable extended realityappliance, in another physical environment, or a combination thereof.For example, if a plurality of image sensors are used to receive theimage data, the composite perspective of the physical environment may beconstructed from image data captured from each of the plurality of imagesensors. For example, each of the plurality of image sensors may capturea different portion of the physical environment and the compositeperspective may be constructed by combining the images of the differentportions of the physical environment together. The images may becombined using any known image processing technique to combine images,such as blending, merging, gradient blending, compositing, stitching,Simultaneous Localization And Mapping algorithm (SLAM), or othertechnique.

In some embodiments, the operations further include constructing thecomposite perspective of the physical environment from the sequentiallycaptured differing portions of the field of view. For example, if thereis a single or multiple image sensors configured to sequentially capturediffering portions of the field of view (as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure), the composite perspective may be constructed from thosesequentially captured images. The images may be combined using any knownimage processing technique to combine images, such as blending, merging,gradient blending, compositing, stitching, or other technique.

The at least two extended reality objects may be spaced apart bydifferent amounts (e.g., more or less than 140 degrees), as long as fromthe wearer's perspective, at least one of the extended reality objectscannot be seen by the wearer. For example, a first extended realityobject may be in front of the wearer such that the wearer can see thefirst extended reality object and a second extended reality object maybe behind the wearer (or otherwise positioned outside the wearer's fieldof view) such that the wearer cannot see the second extended realityobject.

The at least two extended reality objects may be virtually associatedwith the composite perspective of the physical environment by blendingthe images of the extended reality objects with images of the physicalenvironment. The blending may be performed using known image blending orcombining techniques, such as blending, merging, gradient blending,compositing, or other technique.

The point of view of the wearable extended reality appliance may bebased on a center point of where the wearer's eyes are focused. Forexample, if based on an overhead view, the wearer's focus is at 90degrees (i.e., the point of view of the wearer is 90 degrees), then thefield of view may extend 70 degrees to the left of the wearer (i.e., to20 degrees) and 70 degrees to the right of the wearer (i.e., to 160degrees).

In some embodiments, the virtual location of the at least two extendedreality objects in locations spaced apart by more than 140 degreesprevents simultaneous viewing of the at least two extended realityobjects by a wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance from thepoint of view of the wearable extended reality appliance. For example,the value of 140 degrees may represent a maximum width of a field ofview of the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance. In someembodiments, this value may be adjustable by a user setting (e.g., auser setting selectable via a user interface element). For example, thewearer may select a different value (e.g., smaller than 140 degrees) upto a maximum value permitted by the wearable extended reality appliance(e.g., 140 degrees).

In some embodiments, the width of the field of view may vary dependingon the technical specifications of the wearable extended realityappliance. For example, different models or versions of the wearableextended reality appliance may have different widths of the field ofview (i.e., narrower than 140 degrees or wider than 140 degrees). Ineither circumstance where the width of the field of view is changed, theat least two extended reality objects when separated by more than thewidth of the field of view would not be visible to the wearer from thepoint of view of the wearable extended reality appliance.

For example, consider a situation where a first extended reality object(e.g., a ball) is located at an angle of −80 degrees from the point offocus of the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance and asecond extended reality object (e.g., a picture) is located at an angleof +85 degrees from the point of focus of the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance. The angular span between the two extendedreality objects in this case would be 165 degrees and because theangular span is greater than 140 degrees (i.e., greater than the fieldof view of the wearable extended reality appliance), the wearer may notbe able to see either of the two extended reality objects. As anotherexample, assume that the second extended reality object (the picture) isnow at +65 degrees from the point of focus of the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance. In this example, the wearer can see thepicture because the picture is now within the field of view (i.e., lessthan +70 degrees from the point of focus) but cannot see the ballbecause the angular span between two extended reality objects is 145degrees, which is greater than the 140 degree field of view.

In some embodiments, the operations include displaying, via the wearableextended reality appliance and during a particular time period, changesin one of the at least two extended reality objects while refrainingfrom displaying changes in another of the at least two extended realityobjects. The extended reality objects may be displayed to the wearer ofthe wearable extended reality appliance as described herein.

For example, assume there are two extended reality objects: a firstextended reality object that is viewable by the wearer and a secondextended reality object that is not viewable by the wearer (e.g., thesecond extended reality object is outside the wearer's field of view).It is noted that there may be multiple extended reality objects that thewearer can see based on the wearer's point of view and multiple extendedreality objects that the wearer cannot see based on the wearer's pointof view. For purposes of explanation only, it is assumed that there areonly two extended reality objects, and that the wearer can see the firstextended reality object and cannot see the second extended realityobject.

Because the wearer can only see the first extended reality object, onlychanges in the first extended reality object are displayed to thewearer. A change in the first extended reality object may include anytype of visible change to the first extended reality object, such as achange in viewing angle (e.g., caused by the wearer manipulating thefirst extended reality object or by the first extended reality objectmoving by itself) or a change in a property of the first extendedreality object (e.g., a change in shape, size, color, opacity, objectorientation, or the like). Even though changes in the second extendedreality object (e.g., visible changes similar in scope to changes in thefirst extended reality object) may be occurring at the same time aschanges in the first extended reality object, the changes to the secondextended reality object would not be visible to the wearer. However,changes to the second extended reality object may be visible to a viewer(e.g., a non-wearer) either from a different perspective or at adifferent point in time, as will be explained below.

The term “a particular time period” refers to a period of time duringwhich the wearer is looking at the first extended reality object. Theparticular time period may be any length of time during which the wearercan see the first extended reality object and cannot see the secondextended reality object, based on the point of view of the wearableextended reality appliance.

FIG. 27 is an exemplary view of an extended reality object from theperspective of the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. As shown inFIG. 27 , the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance may seea virtual representation of the wearer's arm 2700 holding first extendedreality object 2608. From this perspective, the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance may manipulate first extended reality object2608, for example, by moving it or by changing settings (e.g., color,size, and the like) associated with first extended reality object 2608.For example, the settings may be changed by the wearer making a gesture,saying a command, or accessing a user interface element associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance.

It is noted that while the wearer is manipulating first extended realityobject 2608, second extended reality object 2610 may also be changing atthe same time. For example, second extended reality object 2610 may bemoving. But because second extended reality object 2610 is outside thewearer's field of view (with respect to the wearer's point of focusshown in FIG. 27 ), the wearer cannot see the changes to second extendedreality object 2610. Based on the wearer's point of focus as shown inFIG. 27 , the wearer is only able to see first extended reality object2608.

In some embodiments, the composite perspective of the physicalenvironment is based on image data captured prior to the particular timeperiod. As discussed above, the particular time period refers to aperiod of time during which the wearer is looking at the first extendedreality object. For example, the composite perspective of the physicalenvironment may be based on image data that was captured when the weareractivated the wearable extended reality appliance. As another example,the image data may have been captured at an earlier point in time (i.e.,prior to the particular time period) and stored in a storage, such as amemory or other storage in the wearable extended reality appliance, amemory or other storage in a device (e.g., input unit 202) associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance, or a remote storage (e.g.,a cloud-based storage). In this example, the stored image data may beretrieved by the wearable extended reality appliance and the compositeperspective of the physical environment may be generated based on thestored image data.

In some embodiments, the operations further include updating thecomposite perspective of the physical environment based on image datacaptured during the particular time period. For example, if thecomposite perspective is based on image data captured prior to theparticular time period, the composite perspective may be updated withcurrent image data captured during the particular time period. Forexample, the image data may include time information about when theimage data was captured (e.g., a timestamp or other time indicator). Ifthe particular time period is more than a threshold amount of time(e.g., one hour, one day, one week, or other amount of time) later thanthe timestamp, the composite perspective may be updated with image datacaptured during the particular time period (i.e., the period of timeduring which the wearer is looking at the first extended realityobject). The composite perspective may be updated with image datacaptured during the particular time period to accurately reflect acurrent state of the physical environment (i.e., the state of thephysical environment in real-time while the wearer is viewing thephysical environment).

For example, prior to the particular time period, objects in thephysical environment may be in a first location and in the particulartime period, objects in the physical environment may have been added,moved, or removed from the prior point in time. For example, assume thatFIG. 26 represents a prior point in time (i.e., before the particulartime period). At the prior point in time, wearer 2606 is facing a wallof physical environment 2600 and table 2604 appears to the wearer'sleft. Depending on the wearer's point of focus, table 2604 may be withinthe wearer's field of view. During the particular time period (i.e., alater point in time than that shown in FIG. 26 ), table 2604 is moved toa different location in physical environment 2600 (e.g., next to cabinet2602). The composite perspective may then be updated to reflect thecurrent location of table 2604. Again, depending on the wearer's pointof focus, table 2604 may be within the wearer's field of view.

In some embodiments, the operations include enabling non-synchronousdisplay of concurrent changes in the at least two extended realityobjects that took place during the particular time period. The term“non-synchronous display” means that the concurrent changes in the atleast two extended reality objects are not displayed at the same time.The non-synchronous display may include a playback of the particulartime period at a later point in time by the wearer or another viewer, ora real-time viewing during the particular time period by another viewer(e.g., a non-wearer). For example, the other viewer may view theextended reality environment from a different angle or point of view, aswill be described below.

As an example, during a session, the wearer of the extended realityappliance can only see extended reality objects within the field of viewof the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., a field of view with awidth of 140 degrees). However, other extended reality objects that thewearer cannot see (given the wearer's point of view and the width of thefield of view) may be present in the extended reality environment andmay be changing at the same time. By viewing the extended realityenvironment from a different perspective than that of the wearer (e.g.,by the wearer reviewing the session at a later time or by a non-wearerviewer selecting a different point of view, as will be described below),extended reality objects that are not displayed to the wearer may bedisplayed to the viewer (i.e., the non-synchronous display).

In some embodiments, the operations further include using the compositeperspective to generate a representation of the physical environmentduring the particular time period. The term “representation of thephysical environment” includes, for example, a graphical rendering ofthe physical environment in the extended reality environment such thatthe wearer of the extended reality appliance may see the physicalenvironment. The composite perspective (which is based on image data ofthe physical environment) may be used to generate (i.e., graphicallyrender) the representation of the physical environment by the wearableextended reality appliance. For example, the representation of thephysical environment may be displayed to the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance in a situation in which the wearable extendedreality appliance does not include a see-through lens or lenses suchthat the wearer cannot directly view the physical environment.

In some embodiments, the wearable extended reality appliance may includea see-through lens such that the wearer can directly view the physicalenvironment and the extended reality objects may be projected onto thelens as described herein. In some embodiments, the lens of the wearableextended reality appliance may be opaque such that the wearer cannotdirectly view the physical environment and the representation of thephysical environment may be rendered and projected onto the lens asdescribed herein.

In some embodiments, the non-synchronous display includes a presentationof the representation of the physical environment. By presenting arepresentation of the physical environment in connection with theextended reality objects, a viewer (either a wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance or a non-wearer) may be able to see how theextended reality objects relate to objects in the physical environment.For example, if an extended reality object is presented in the extendedreality environment as being located on a physical object (such assecond extended reality object 2610 being presented on cabinet 2602 asshown in FIGS. 26 and 28 ), presenting the physical environment (i.e.,cabinet 2602) enables the viewer to see both the physical object and theextended reality object. Continuing this example, if the physicalenvironment was not presented to the viewer, the extended reality objectwould appear to be floating in the air.

In some embodiments, a portion of the representation of the physicalenvironment is generated artificially based on the captured image data.For example, if the captured image data does not include image data fromthe entire physical environment, the portion of the physical environmentnot represented in the captured image data may be artificiallygenerated. As one example, the captured image data may include imagesrepresenting a 350 degrees view out of a 360 degree view of the physicalenvironment. The missing 10 degrees of the view may be artificiallygenerated to complete the 360 degree view of the physical environment.In some embodiments, a machine learning algorithm may be used togenerate the missing portion of the physical environment to “fill in”the image data (e.g., image imputation) such that a completerepresentation of the physical environment may be generated. Forexample, the missing part may be a wall and the machine learningalgorithm will complete the pattern of the wall. In some cases, themachine learning algorithm may be trained on images of the physicalenvironment (e.g., images including the 350 degree view, the missing 10degree view, and the complete 360 degree view), the input to the machinelearning algorithm may include the image(s) constituting the 350 degreesof view and the output of the machine learning algorithm may include the“missing” 10 degrees of view not covered by the image(s). It is notedthat image data including 350 degrees of view and missing 10 degrees ofview is one example combination of image data present and image datamissing. Other combinations of image data present (e.g., 300 degrees,270 degrees, etc.) and image data missing (e.g., 60 degrees, 90 degrees)are also contemplated. For example, a k-Nearest Neighbors (kNN)algorithm, a Generative Adversarial Network (GAN), or other machinelearning algorithm may be used to generate the missing portion of theimage data.

In some embodiments, the portion of the representation artificiallygenerated has display parameters different from display parameters ofother portions of the representation associated with regions of thephysical environment that were captured by the at least one imagesensor. The term “display parameters” refers to characteristics of howthe display is presented to a viewer. The display parameters may bepredetermined by the display device (e.g., the wearable extended realityappliance or an external display) or may be adjusted by the viewer(e.g., by a user interface configured to receive viewer input to controlthe display). The display parameters may include, but are not limitedto, size, screen position, brightness, contrast, color, and opacity. Insome embodiments, one or more display parameters may be grouped togetherin a “display mode” which may be selected by the viewer and the displayparameters for the selected display mode are automatically adjusted. Forexample, display modes may include, but are not limited to, “standard,”“movie,” or “game.” For example, the artificially generated portion ofthe representation may have a lower opacity or different colors than theother portions of the representation based on the captured image data.

In some embodiments, at differing times during the particular timeperiod, differing portions of the representation are artificiallygenerated. For example, during the particular time period (i.e., theperiod of time during which the wearer is looking an extended realityobject), the wearer may interact with the extended reality object (e.g.,moving the object in the extended reality environment, changing a sizeof the object, or changing an opacity setting of the object) such thatdifferent portions of the physical environment may be visible before andafter the interaction. For example, assume that an extended realityobject is in a first location at a first time. The wearer moves theextended reality object at a second time from the first location to asecond location to the right of the first location (the first time andthe second time are both within the particular time period). A portionof the physical environment in the first location at the first time thatmay have been partially or fully obscured by the extended reality objectmay be visible at the second time. So as to not display a blank spacewhere the extended reality object was previously located, the portion ofthe physical representation in the first location that is visible at thesecond time may be artificially generated. The artificially generatedportion of the representation may be generated in a similar manner asdescribed in connection with artificially generating missing image data.

In some embodiments, the operations further include analyzing the imagedata to identify a private portion of the physical environment and apublic portion of the physical environment. As will be described infurther detail below, a “private portion” of the physical environmentmay be hidden from a viewer not present in the physical environment anda “public portion” of the physical environment may be displayed to aviewer not present in the physical environment. For example, portion ofthe physical environment may be “identified” as either private or publicby using an identifier associated with the portion of the physicalenvironment, as will be described further below. As another example,image data that depicts a portion of the physical environment mayinclude a field or other identifier (e.g., a flag) to indicate whetherthe portion of the physical environment shown in the image is private orpublic. In some examples, a machine learning model may be trained usingtraining examples to identify private portions and public portions ofphysical environments from images and/or videos. An example of such atraining example may include a sample image of a sample physicalenvironment, together with a label indicating that a first portion ofthe sample physical environment is private and/or that a second portionof the sample physical environment is public. The trained machinelearning model may be used to analyze the image data to identify theprivate portion of the physical environment and/or the public portion ofthe physical environment. In some examples, a convolution of at leastpart of the image data may be calculated to obtain a result value.Further, the identification of the private portion of the physicalenvironment and/or the public portion of the physical environment may bebased on the result value. For example, when the result value is a firstnumerical value, a first portion of the physical environment may beidentified as private, and/or when the result value is a secondnumerical value, the first portion of the physical environment may beidentified as public.

It is noted that a viewer that is present in the physical environmentwill be able to see all objects present in the physical environment ifthe wearable extended reality appliance has a see-through lens or if theviewer removes the wearable extended reality appliance. If the wearableextended reality appliance worn by a viewer present in the physicalenvironment does not have a see-through lens, then the viewer may not beable to see the “private portion” of the physical environment, which maybe determined by a setting accessible via a user interface of thewearable extended reality appliance or may be set by a person or entityin control of the physical environment. For example, the wearer may bein a room in their home and may not want certain objects in the physicalenvironment (e.g., a table or one or more items on the table) to bevisible in the representation of the physical environment that may bevisible to non-wearer viewers that are not also present in the room. Anobject in the physical environment or a portion of the physicalenvironment may be designated as “private” based on user configuration.

For example, the wearer may designate an object as “private” byassociating a physical tag to the object. For example, the physical tagmay broadcast an identifier (e.g., a radio frequency beacon or otherwireless signal) that indicates that the object associated with thephysical tag is “private.” As another example, the physical tag may havea predetermined color, shape, or combination of color and shape suchthat when the predetermined color and/or shape is identified in an imageincluding the object, the object is identified as “private.” Thephysical tag may include a visual tag, a radio frequency identificationtag, or the like. The physical tag may be associated with the physicalobject may attaching the tag to the object (e.g., fastening the tag tothe object, such as with a string, a cord, an adhesive, a nail, a screw,a hook and loop arrangement, or other fastener) or by placing thephysical tag on the object (e.g., placing the physical tag on a tablesurface).

As another example, a portion of the physical environment may bedesignated as “private” based on positioning data identifying theportion of the physical environment. For example, if the physicalenvironment is a square room, one corner of the room (e.g., the upperleft corner as determined from an overhead view) may be designated as“private” and any object location in the upper left corner of the roommay also be designated as “private” based on the object being positionedin the “private” portion of the room. As another example, an object orportion of the physical environment may be designated as “private” basedon a graphical representation of the physical environment and byinteracting with a user interface (e.g., by clicking on the object orportion of the physical environment, by drawing a line or othergeometric shape around the object or portion of the physicalenvironment, or by another user interface element that permits the userto select one or more items).

In a similar manner, the wearer may designate one or more objects orportions of the physical environment as “public,” such that any objector portion of the physical environment designated as “public” is visibleto non-wearer viewers.

In some embodiments, the operations comprise including the publicportion of the physical environment in the representation of thephysical environment while excluding the private portion of the physicalenvironment from the representation of the physical environment. Theterm “include in the representation of the physical environment” meansthat any portion to be included will be displayed in the representationof the physical environment. The term “exclude from the representationof the physical environment” means that any portion to be excluded willnot be displayed in the representation of the physical environment. Ifan object is excluded from the representation of the physicalenvironment, the background of the physical environment behind theexcluded object may still be displayed. If an area of the physicalenvironment is excluded from the representation of the physicalenvironment, the area may be artificially generated (in a similar manneras described elsewhere in this disclosure) using image data from areasadjacent to the area excluded. By artificially generating the privatearea excluded from the representation of the physical environment, itmay appear to the viewer that the physical environment is complete(i.e., a blank spot is not displayed where the private area is located).For example, any portion of the physical environment that is designatedas “public” may be included in the representation of the physicalenvironment. As another example, any portion of the physical environmentthat is not designated as “private” may be included in therepresentation of the physical environment (i.e., any portion of thephysical environment that is not designated as “private” may be assumedto be “public”).

As another example, any portion of the physical environment that isdesignated as “private” may be excluded from the representation of thephysical environment (e.g., to persons not authorized for viewing theprivate information). As another example, any portion of the physicalenvironment that is not designated as “public” may be excluded from therepresentation of the physical environment (i.e., any portion of thephysical environment that is not designated as “public” may be assumedto be “private”).

In some embodiments, one or more extended reality objects may bedesignated as “private” such that those extended reality objects may notbe visible to non-wearer viewers (or not visible to others who lackpermission to view the private information). For example, an extendedreality object may be designated as “private” based on userconfiguration. For example, the wearer may digitally tag or identify anextended reality object as private. This indication may be stored in adata structure of the extended reality object as a field, a flag, orother identifier.

In some embodiments, the extended reality object may be designated as“private” based on a location in the physical environment associatedwith the extended reality object. For example, if the extended realityobject is a vase and the vase is located on a table in the physicalenvironment that is designated as “private” (as described above), thenthe vase may automatically be designated as “private” based on itsassociation with the “private” table. As another example, if theextended reality object is located in a portion of the physicalenvironment designated as “private,” when the object is placed or movedto the designated portion of the physical environment, the object may beautomatically designated as “private.”

FIG. 28 is an exemplary perspective view showing the wearer of thewearable extended reality appliance in the physical environment, twoextended reality objects, and a private portion of the physicalenvironment, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.Physical environment 2800 includes cabinet 2602 and table 2604. Similarto FIG. 26 , wearer 2606 is holding first extended reality object 2608,shown in FIG. 28 as a bouquet of flowers. Second extended reality object2610 is positioned to appear on top of cabinet 2602, shown in FIG. 28 asan animated figure.

As shown in FIG. 28 , a laptop computer 2802 is located on table 2604 inthe physical environment. Consistent with the embodiments describedherein, table 2604 may be designated as a “public” object such thattable 2604 is visible to the wearer and a non-wearer viewer. Aspreviously described in this disclosure, a non-wearer viewer may includea viewer of the extended reality environment at a later point in timethan the wearer or a viewer using a device (e.g., a different wearableextended reality appliance or other display) to view the extendedreality environment in real-time along with the wearer. The non-wearerviewer may be physically located in the physical environment with thewearer or in a physical location separate from the physical environment.Laptop computer 2802 may be designated as a “private” object such thatwearer 2606 and the viewer cannot see laptop computer 2802 in theextended reality environment. In some embodiments, wearer 2606 may beable to see laptop computer 2802 (because it is wearer 2606 whodesignated laptop computer 2802 as “private”), while the viewer cannotsee laptop computer 2802.

As another example, table 2604 may be designated as a “private” objectand any object placed on table 2604 (e.g., laptop computer 2802) may, byassociation with table 2604, automatically be designated as a “private”object without further action needed from wearer 2606. In suchcircumstances, neither laptop computer 2802 nor table 2604 may bevisible in the extended reality environment. For example, the non-wearerviewer will not be able to see either laptop computer 2802 or table2604. As another example, if the wearable extended reality applianceworn by the wearer does not include a see-through lens, the wearer mayalso not be able to see either laptop computer 2802 or table 2604.

In some embodiments, the non-synchronous display includes a virtualrepresentation of at least one of a wearer of the wearable extendedreality appliance or the wearable extended reality appliance. Thevirtual representation of the wearer or the wearable extended realityappliance may include a graphical rendering of the wearer or thewearable extended reality appliance to be displayed in the extendedreality environment. For example, from the point of view of a viewer(i.e., a non-wearer viewing the extended reality environment by using adifferent wearable extended reality appliance or an external display), avirtual representation of the wearer may be rendered in the extendedreality environment and shown on the different wearable extended realityappliance or the external display such that the viewer may see acomplete representation of the extended reality environment includingthe wearer and any actions taken by the wearer. As another example, avirtual representation of the wearable extended reality appliance may berendered, instead of the wearer. As another example, a virtualrepresentation of the wearer wearing the wearable extended realityappliance may be rendered. In some embodiments, a choice of whether toview the wearer, the wearable extended reality appliance, or both may bemade by the wearer or by the viewer. For example, the choice may be madeby a user interface element accessible by the wearer or the viewer. Insome embodiments, if the choice is made by the wearer, the viewer maynot be able to override that choice (i.e., the wearer's choice takesprecedence over the viewer's choice).

FIG. 29 is an exemplary composite image of the physical environment, avirtual representation of the wearer of the wearable extended realityappliance, and two extended reality objects, as seen from theperspective of a viewer, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure.

Composite image 2900 may include a virtual representation of the wearer2902 of the wearable extended reality appliance. The viewer may be ableto see virtual representation of the wearer 2902, the wearer holdingfirst extended reality object 2608, and cabinet 2602 with secondextended reality object 2610 positioned on top of cabinet 2602. Fromthis perspective, the viewer may be able to simultaneously see changesto both first extended reality object 2608 and second extended realityobject 2610 (if changes to both objects are simultaneously occurring).For example, the flowers (first extended reality object 2608) may changecolor while the animated figure (second extended reality object 2610) isdancing.

In some embodiments, the non-synchronous display includes a bird's-eyeview of an extended reality environment including the at least twoextended reality objects overlying the composite perspective of thephysical environment. For example, the bird's-eye view provides a viewfrom a high angle, such as an angled view (i.e., from a steep angle) oran overhead view, of the composite perspective of the physicalenvironment (as described elsewhere in this disclosure) and includes theextended reality objects and in their location in the extended realityenvironment. The bird's-eye view may be generated using known imageprocessing techniques, such as warp perspective mapping or inverseperspective mapping. In some embodiments, the bird's-eye view may alsoinclude an overhead rendering of the wearer. For example, the wearer'sposition in the physical environment may be determined using a positionsensor as described herein.

FIG. 30 is an exemplary bird's-eye view of a physical environment, thewearer of the wearable extended reality appliance, and two extendedreality objects, consistent with some embodiments of the presentdisclosure. From the bird's-eye view of physical environment 3000, theviewer may see wearer 2606 holding first extended reality object 2608,table 2604, and cabinet 2602 with second extended reality object 2610positioned on cabinet 2602. From this perspective, the viewer may alsosee any movements made by wearer 2606, any changes to first extendedreality object 2608, and any changes to second extended reality object2610.

In some embodiments, enabling the non-synchronous display includesenabling a viewer to toggle between viewing only a representation of thephysical environment, viewing only an extended reality environmentincluding the at least two extended reality objects, or viewing arepresentation of both the physical environment and the extended realityenvironment. In some embodiments, the viewer may toggle (i.e., select)the view by using a user interface element. The user interface elementmay include buttons, radio buttons, checkboxes, sliders, menus,scrollbars, knobs, dials, meters, and or any other user interfaceelement configured to permit a user to select one of several options.For example, FIG. 31 shows an example user interface element forselecting between the different views.

FIG. 31 is an exemplary graphical user interface element for changingviews of the extended reality environment and the physical environment,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Display 3100includes a view selector (e.g., user interface element 3102) with abird's-eye view button 3104, an extended reality only view (“Only XRView”) button 3106, a physical environment only view (“Only PhysicalView”) button 3108, and a composite view button 3110; and a view rotatorelement 3112. While user interface elements 3104-3110 are shown asbuttons, other user interface controls (e.g., radio button or other userinterface element that permits a user to select only one option) may bepresented in display 3100 to achieve a similar result. While viewrotator element 3112 is shown as a cube with arrows, otherconfigurations of view rotator element 3112 are possible to providecontrol to the viewer to rotate the displayed image to a desired viewingangle.

By using user interface element 3102, the viewer may select a desiredview of the extended reality environment and/or the physicalenvironment. For example, selecting bird's-eye view button 3104 maydisplay a bird's-eye view of the extended reality environment, similarto FIG. 30 . Selecting “Only XR View” button 3106 may display onlyextended reality object, such as shown and described below in connectionwith FIG. 33 . Selecting Only Physical View button 3108 may display onlyobjects in the physical environment, such as shown and described belowin connection with FIG. 32 . Selecting composite view button 3110 maydisplay a combined physical environment with extended reality objects,such as shown in the lower portion of FIG. 31 . In some embodiments, theuser interface elements are always displayed such that view selector3102 and view rotator element 3112 are displayed adjacent to or “on topof” (i.e., displayed with an opacity such that they are at leastpartially see-through) the selected view, similar to FIG. 31 . Once theview is selected, the viewer may use view rotator element 3112 tonavigate around in the selected view (i.e., rotate the selected view toachieve a desired perspective of the selected view or a desired viewingangle within the selected view). For example, as shown in FIG. 31 ,display 3100 includes a composite view (e.g., selected by usingcomposite view button 3110) including virtual representation of thewearer 2902 holding first extended reality object 2608 and secondextended reality object 2610 positioned on cabinet 2602.

FIG. 32 is an exemplary side view of the physical environment,consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example,the viewer may have selected to view only the physical environment(e.g., by using “Only Physical View” button 3108 of user interfaceelement 3102) and used view rotator element 3112 to rotate the view ofthe physical environment to view only the physical environment from oneside. As shown in FIG. 32 , side view 3200 includes cabinet 2602 andtable 2604.

FIG. 33 is an exemplary view of the extended reality environment,including a virtual representation of the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance and two extended reality objects, consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure. For example, the viewermay have selected to view only the extended reality environment (e.g.,by using “Only XR View” button 3106 of user interface element 3102). Asshown in FIG. 33 , the extended reality environment view 3300 includesvirtual representation of the wearer 2902 holding first extended realityobject 2608 and second extended reality object 2610. Because theextended reality only view does not include objects in the physicalenvironment, in FIG. 33 , it appears as if second extended realityobject 2610 is “floating” behind virtual representation of the wearer2902.

In some embodiments, enabling the non-synchronous display includesenabling viewing of a non-realistic visual representation of thephysical environment together with an extended reality environmentincluding the at least two extended reality objects. In some examples,enabling the non-synchronous display includes enabling viewing of thephysical environment together with an extended reality environmentincluding the at least two extended reality objects morphing graduallyto a viewing of a non-realistic visual representation of the physicalenvironment together with the extended reality environment including theat least two extended reality objects. In one example, a machinelearning model may be trained using training examples to generatenon-realistic visual representations of physical environments. Anexample of such training example may include data associated with asample physical environment and a sample category or non-realism,together with a non-realistic visual representation of the samplephysical environment associated with the sample category or non-realism.The trained machine learning model may be used to analyze data based onimages and/or videos of the physical environment (such as the receivedimage data described above) to generate the non-realistic visualrepresentation of the physical environment. In one example, a categoryor non-realism may be a level of non-realism, and to generate thegradual morph, non-realistic visual representations of different levelsof non-realism may be generated, and may then be available for display,for example in an ascending order of non-realism. In some examples, acategory of non-realism may be a type of non-realism. Some non-limitingexamples of such type may include impressionism, expressionism, fauvism,surrealism, cubism, manga, and so forth. In one example, thenon-realistic visual representation of the physical environment may bein a type selected based on a prospective viewer of the non-realisticvisual representation of the physical environment. For example, a firstprospective viewer may have an affinity to a first type of non-realism,and the non-realistic visual representation of the physical environmentmay be a non-realistic visual representation of the physical environmentin the first type of non-realism, and/or a second prospective viewer mayhave an affinity to a second type of non-realism (different from thefirst type), and the non-realistic visual representation of the physicalenvironment may be a non-realistic visual representation of the physicalenvironment in the second type of non-realism. In one example, anaffinity of a particular viewer to a particular type of non-realism maybe determined based on at least one of a past behavior of the particularviewer, an input provided by the particular viewer, or an affinity ofanother viewer (associated with the particular viewer) to the particulartype of non-realism.

In some embodiments, enabling the non-synchronous display includesenabling a viewer-selectable perspective for viewing the at least twoextended reality objects. For example, the viewer may select any angle(i.e., the viewer-selectable perspective) to view the extended realityenvironment. In some embodiments, the viewer may use a user interfaceelement to select the desired perspective. For example, view rotatorelement 3112 of FIG. 31 may be used to select the desired perspective.

In some embodiments, the non-synchronous display depicts a first virtualobject included in a first portion of an extended reality environmentdifferently from a second virtual object included in a second portion ofthe extended reality environment to differentiate between the firstportion previously viewed and the second portion previously not viewed.In some embodiments, because a viewer (i.e., a non-wearer) has adifferent point of view than the wearer, the viewer may be able tovisually discern the difference between extended reality objects thatthe wearer can see (e.g., the first extended reality object) andextended reality objects that the wearer cannot see (e.g., the secondextended reality object). For example, the first extended reality objectmay appear different to the viewer than the second extended realityobject. For example, the first extended reality object may appear incolor while the second extended reality object may appear in grayscaleor similar color differentiation from the first extended reality object.As another example, the first extended reality object may have a higheropacity level than the second extended reality object (i.e., the secondextended reality object may appear to be more “see-through” than thefirst extended reality object). As another example, the first extendedreality object may be shown with a solid outline while the secondextended reality object may be shown with a dashed or dotted outline.Other ways of visually differentiating between the first extendedreality object and the second extended reality object may be used. Insome embodiments, the visual differentiation between the first extendedreality object and the second extended reality object may be selected bythe viewer via a user interface element.

For example, assume that the wearer is playing a virtual reality game inwhich the wearer is fighting monsters (e.g., a “dungeon crawl” typegame) and the viewer is the wearer at a later point in time (e.g., thewearer watching a playback of the game session) or another viewer (e.g.,a “fan” of the wearer on a social media site on which the other viewermay watch the wearer play the game in real-time). If the wearer enters aroom in the game and looks to the right, the wearer will only seeobjects on the right side of the room. Any objects on the left side ofthe room would not be visible to the wearer (i.e., outside the wearer'sfield of view). But the viewer (via the non-synchronous display) may beable to see the objects on the left side of the room that the wearercannot see, depending on the viewer's selected point of view and viewingangle, as described elsewhere in this disclosure. In such circumstances,from the viewers perspective, the objects on the left side of the roommay be depicted differently than object on the right side of the room,in a manner described above. By differentiating how the object aredepicted, the viewer may be able to discern which objects were seen bythe wearer and which objects were not seen by the wearer.

In some embodiments, the non-synchronous display depicts a first virtualobject included in a first portion of an extended reality environmentdifferently from a second virtual object included in a second portion ofthe extended reality environment to differentiate between the firstportion displayed via the wearable extended reality appliance and thesecond portion not displayed via the wearable extended realityappliance. For example, the first portion of the extended realityenvironment may be displayed on the wearable extended reality appliancewhile the second portion of the extended reality environment may bedisplayed on an external monitor. The visual differences in depictingthe first extended reality object and the second extended reality objectmay be performed in a similar manner as described above.

Continuing the above example in which the wearer is playing a virtualreality game, the viewer may be able to discern what is currently beingdisplayed to the wearer and what is not being displayed to the wearer bydifferently depicting the objects. For example, assume the wearer entersa room and starts fighting a first monster in front of the wearer. Atthe same time, a second monster approaches the wearer from the wearer'sright side but out of the wearer's field of view. While the wearer isunable to see the second monster (because it is outside the wearer'sfield of view), the viewer is able to see the second monster. From theviewer's perspective, the first monster may be depicted differently thanthe second monster. For example, the first monster may be depicted incolor (the same as seen by the wearer) while the second monster may bedepicted in grayscale. As another example, the first monster may bedepicted in color (the same as seen by the wearer) while the secondmonster may be depicted in color with a lower opacity. As anotherexample, the first monster may be depicted in color (the same as seen bythe wearer) while the second monster may be depicted in color with adifferent outline (e.g., a dashed or dotted outline). Other displayvariations are possible to enable the viewer to readily distinguishbetween objects that the wearer can see and objects that the wearercannot see.

In some embodiments, the first portion and the second portion change inresponse to movements of the wearable extended reality appliance. Asdescribed above, the portion of the extended reality environmentviewable by the wearer is based on a field of view centered around thepoint of view of the wearable extended reality appliance. As the wearerturns their head in the physical environment, the wearer's point of viewchanges, and therefore, the portion of the visible extended realityenvironment (as determined by the field of view) also changes. Forexample, if the wearer turns their head to the right, the field of viewshifts to the right in an amount corresponding to the amount of headmovement. For example, if the wearer turns their head to the right by 15degrees, then the field of view moves to the right by 15 degrees. Anyextended reality objects that were not previously visible (i.e., outsidethe prior field of view) may become visible as the wearer turns theirhead. For example, if the wearer turns their head to the right by 25degrees from an initial position and an extended reality object waslocated outside the initial field of view by 15 degrees to the right,the extended reality object would now be visible by the wearer (i.e.,the extended reality object would now be within the shifted field ofview). As another example, as the wearer turns their head, the wearermay be able to see a portion of an extended reality object that was notearlier visible. For example, if an extended reality object has writingor a design on one side, from an initial viewing angle, the wearer maynot be able to see the writing or design or may only be able to see aportion of the writing or design. As the wearer turns their head, alarger portion or a different portion of the extended reality object maycome into view such that the wearer is able to see more of the writingor design.

Continuing the above example in which the wearer is playing a virtualreality game, assume the wearer enters a room and starts fighting afirst monster in front of the wearer. At the same time, a second monsterapproaches the wearer from the wearer's right side but out of thewearer's field of view. If the wearer turns their head far enough to theright, the second monster may become at least partially visible to thewearer. In such circumstances, how the second monster is depicted to theviewer may change. For example, if prior to the wearer turning theirhead to the right, the second monster was depicted in grayscale, as thewearer turns their head to the right and the second monster becomesvisible to the wearer, the second monster as seen by the viewer may alsochange. For example, the portion of the second monster that the wearercan see may be depicted in color instead of in grayscale.

It is understood that if the wearer does not move the wearable extendedreality appliance far enough, extended reality objects that were notvisible in the initial position may still not be visible in the newposition. For example, if the wearer turns their head to the right by 15degrees from the initial position and an extended reality object isoutside the initial field of view by 35 degrees to the right, the wearerwould still not be able to see that extended reality object because thewearer did not turn their head far enough.

In some embodiments, enabling the non-synchronous display includesenabling viewing of the concurrent changes at a time after theparticular time period. For example, as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, the extended reality session may be recorded for laterplayback by the wearer or by another (i.e., non-wearer) viewer. Also asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure, the viewer may select adifferent point of view and/or a different viewing angle and may be ableto see the changes to the extended reality objects that the wearer couldnot see while wearing the wearable extended reality appliance (i.e.,“enabling viewing of the concurrent changes”). For example, if a changeto an extended reality object occurred outside the wearer's field ofview while the wearer was wearing the wearable extended realityappliance, during the playback session, the viewer can see theconcurrent changes in the extended reality object that the wearer wasunable to see during the extended reality session.

Continuing the above example in which the wearer is playing a virtualreality game, assume the wearer enters a room and starts fighting afirst monster in front of the wearer. At the same time, a second monsterapproaches the wearer from the wearer's right side but out of thewearer's field of view. While the wearer is unable to see the secondmonster during the game session, the viewer (e.g., the wearer at a pointin time after the game session has ended) may be able to see the samescene from a different point of view such that the viewer can see thesecond monster approaching the wearer.

In some embodiments, the operations may further include enabling atleast one viewer other than a wearer of the wearable extended realityappliance to view the concurrent changes in real time. Because thewearer's ability to view some extended reality objects is limited basedon the wearer's field of view, the wearer may not be able to see allchanges to all extended reality objects in real-time. However, becauseviewers other than the wearer have a different point of view, theviewers may be able to see the concurrent changes in multiple extendedreality objects in real-time. As further described elsewhere in thisdisclosure, viewers other than the wearer may be able to view theextended reality session in real-time along with the wearer. Moreover,as described herein, the viewer may be able to select a different pointof view and/or viewing angle than that seen by the viewer. By seeing theextended reality session from the different point of view and/or viewingangle, the viewer may be able to see the concurrent changes to multipleextended reality objects.

Continuing the above example in which the wearer is playing a virtualreality game, assume the wearer enters a room and starts fighting afirst monster in front of the wearer. At the same time, a second monsterapproaches the wearer from the wearer's right side but out of thewearer's field of view. While the wearer is unable to see the secondmonster during the game session, the viewer (assuming that the viewerhas selected a point of view different than that of the wearer) can seethe second monster approaching the wearer in real-time.

In some embodiments, enabling the non-synchronous display includesenabling a first viewer other than a wearer of the wearable extendedreality appliance to view the concurrent changes from a firstperspective and enabling a second viewer other than the wearer to viewthe concurrent changes from a second perspective. As described elsewherein this disclosure, viewers other than the wearer may be able to viewthe extended reality session in real-time along with the wearer. Forexample, the number of non-wearer viewers is not limited to one or two;any number of non-wearer viewers may be able to view the extendedreality session in real-time (e.g., as “fans” of the wearer on a socialmedia site). As also described elsewhere in this disclosure, the viewermay be able to select a different point of view and/or viewing anglethan that seen by the viewer.

For example, the first viewer and the second viewer may simultaneouslyview the same extended reality environment as the wearer, but ondifferent devices (e.g., separate monitors or separate wearable extendedreality appliances). For example, the first viewer may select the firstperspective using a user interface element, such as user interfaceelement 3102 shown in FIG. 31 and described above. Similarly, the secondviewer may select the second perspective using user interface element3102 shown in FIG. 31 . Because the first viewer and the second viewerare using different devices, they may select the same perspective (i.e.,the first perspective and the second perspective are the same) or theymay select different perspectives (i.e., the first perspective and thesecond perspective are different).

Continuing the above example in which the wearer is playing a virtualreality game, assume that the wearer has a plurality of “fans” on asocial media site on which each fan may watch the wearer play the gamein real-time. Each fan can select their own point of view and/or viewingangle (for example, by using user interface element 3102 shown in FIG.31 ) to watch the wearer play the game.

FIG. 34 is a flowchart of an exemplary method 3400 for capturing anextended reality environment, consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. FIG. 34 is an exemplary representation of just oneembodiment, and it is to be understood that some illustrated elementsmight be omitted and others added within the scope of this disclosure.One or more operations of the method 3400 may be performed by aprocessor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance. Forexample, a first processor may be located in the wearable extendedreality appliance and may perform one or more operations of the method3400. As another example, a second processor may be located in anintegrated computational interface device associated with the wearableextended reality appliance, and the second processor may perform one ormore operations of the method 3400. As another example, the firstprocessor and the second processor may cooperate to perform one or moreoperations of the method 3400. The cooperation between the firstprocessor and the second processor may include load balancing, worksharing, or other known mechanisms for dividing a workload betweenmultiple processors.

Image data of a physical environment where a wearer of a wearableextended reality appliance is located is received (operation 3402). Forexample, the image data may be received from at least one image sensorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance. The image datamay include images, grayscale images, color images, 2D images, 3Dimages, videos, 2D videos, 3D videos, frames, footages, data derivedfrom other image data, and so forth. In some embodiments, the receivedimage data may be limited to a predetermined field of view, e.g., ahorizontal field of view of 140 degrees centered around a point of viewof the wearer (i.e., 70 degrees to the left of the point of view and 70degrees to the right of the point of view).

One or more extended reality objects in the extended reality environmentmay be virtually associated with physical objects in the physicalenvironment to create a composite image (operation 3404). The compositeimage may include real-time images of the physical environment;previously captured images of the physical environment; artificiallygenerated images of a least a portion of the physical environment; or acombination of real-time images, previously captured images, and/orgenerated images. For example, FIG. 29 is a composite image showing bothphysical objects from the physical environment and extended realityobjects from the extended reality environment.

Changes in the extended reality objects may be displayed to a viewer(operation 3406). For example, the viewer may include the wearer of thewearable extended reality appliance and the wearer may see only virtualobjects and/or physical objects within the field of view of the wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., a horizontal 140 degrees). As anotherexample, the viewer may include a non-wearer and the viewer may be ableto see extended reality objects that the wearer cannot see (e.g.,extended reality objects that are outside the wearer's field of view).

For example, assume there are two extended reality objects: a firstextended reality object that is viewable by the wearer and a secondextended reality object that is not viewable by the wearer (e.g., thesecond extended reality object is outside the wearer's field of view).Because the wearer can only see the first extended reality object, onlychanges in the first extended reality object are displayed to thewearer.

For example, the changes may occur during a particular time period,which may refer to a period of time during which the wearer is lookingat the first extended reality object. The particular time period may beany length of time, provided the wearer can see the first extendedreality object and cannot see the second extended reality object, basedon the point of view of the wearable extended reality appliance.

Non-synchronous display of concurrent changes in the extended realityobjects may be enabled (operation 3408). The term “non-synchronousdisplay” may include a playback of the particular time period at a laterpoint in time by the wearer or another viewer, or a real-time viewingduring the particular time period by another viewer (e.g., anon-wearer). For example, the other viewer may view the extended realityenvironment from a different angle or point of view, such as selectablevia user interface elements 3102 and 3112 as shown in FIG. 31 .

Some embodiments involve a system for capturing extended realityenvironments. The system may include at least one processor forperforming the operations previously described. For example, the systemmay be configured to: receive image data representing at least a 140degrees field of view of a physical environment, the image data beingreceived from at least one image sensor associated with a wearableextended reality appliance; virtually associate at least two extendedreality objects with a composite perspective of the physicalenvironment, wherein the at least two extended reality objects arespaced apart by at least 140 degrees from a point of view of thewearable extended reality appliance; display, via the wearable extendedreality appliance and during a particular time period, changes in one ofthe at least two extended reality objects while refraining fromdisplaying changes in another of the at least two extended realityobjects; and enable non-synchronous display of concurrent changes in theat least two extended reality objects that took place during theparticular time period.

In an extended reality environment in which users may use wearableextended reality appliances, the capability of extracting a participantof a video conference and locating a virtual representation of thatparticipant in a physical space may help enhance productivity.

Some embodiments involve a non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for managing anextended reality conference. The term “non-transitory computer readablemedium” may be understood as described elsewhere in this disclosure. Theterm “instructions” may refer to program code instructions that may beexecuted by a processor. The instructions may be written in any type ofcomputer programming language, such as an interpretive language (e.g.,scripting languages such as HTML and JavaScript), a procedural orfunctional language (e.g., C or Pascal that may be compiled forconverting to executable code), object-oriented programming language(e.g., Java or Python), logical programming language (e.g., Prolog orAnswer Set Programming), or any other programming language. In someexamples, the instructions may implement methods associated with machinelearning, deep learning, artificial intelligence, digital imageprocessing, and any other computer processing technique. The term“processor” may be understood as described elsewhere in this disclosure.For example, the at least one processor may be one or more of the server210 of FIG. 2 , the mobile communications device 206 of FIG. 2 , theprocessing device 360 of FIG. 3 , the processing device 460 of FIG. 4 ,or the processing device 560 of FIG. 5 , and the instructions may bestored at any of the data structure 212, the memory devices 311, 411, or511, or a memory of the mobile communications device 206.

An extended reality conference may refer to, for example, anyconference, meeting, conversation, discussion, seminar, call, dialogue,chat, or interaction associated with an extended reality environment. Anextended reality environment includes any setting in which at least oneelement is physically located in the setting and at least one element issimulated in the environment. For example, one person or other objectmay be physically located in the setting and another person or objectmay be simulated in the setting. An extended reality conference mayprovide participants with the ability to interact (e.g., converse,exchange ideas, communicate thoughts, share notes, express opinions,and/or present other desired information) as if co-located, even thoughone or more participants are not physically located in the setting ofthe conference. An extended reality conference may be held in anextended reality environment, for example, in which users may usewearable extended reality appliances (as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure) to participate in the extended reality conference. Forexample, wearable extended reality appliances may be used to establish aplatform for the extended reality conference, for example, by generatinga user interface for the extended reality conference, capturing,receiving, or transmitting various types of data associated with theextended reality conference, displaying video associated with theextended reality conference, outputting audio associated with theextended reality conference, or performing any other suitable action orfunctionality associated with the extended reality conference. Managingan extended reality conference may include, for example, extractingconference participants to an extended reality environment, as describedin greater detail below.

Some embodiments involve facilitating a multi-participant videoconference between a plurality of physically dispersed participants. Avideo conference may include, for example, the two-way or multipointreception and transmission of audio and video signals for real-timecommunication between people in different locations. A video conferencemay be facilitated by any step, structure, hardware, or softwarecomponent that either alone or in combination with one or more otherstep, structure, hardware, or software component assists, aids, enables,expedites, or supports the establishment or conduct of a videoconference. For example, in a video conference, image sensors may beused for capturing video of participants, and audio sensors may be usedfor capturing audio of participants. The captured data of video andaudio of a participant may be transmitted to other devices foroutputting to other participants. In this example, each of the steps ofcapturing the video, capturing the audio, and transmitting either may beindependently considered an act of facilitating the video conference. Insome examples, a video conference may include multiple participants. Amulti-participant video conference may include any desired number ofparticipants (e.g., 2 participants, 3 participants, 4 participants, 5participants, 6 participants, 7 participants, 8 participants, 9participants, 10 participants, or any other number of participants). Aparticipant of a video conference may include, for example, anyindividual or other entity that may participate in, join in, be involvedin, be connected to, or be associated with the video conference. Themulti-participant video conference may include a plurality of physicallydispersed participants. The plurality of physically dispersedparticipants may be located in different locations (e.g., in differentrooms, in different buildings, in different cities, in differentcountries, etc.). Two or more of the locations of the plurality ofphysically dispersed participants may have any desired distancetherebetween (e.g., 10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 1 kilometer, 2kilometers, 3 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 100 kilometers,1,000 kilometers, 5,000 kilometers, 10,000 kilometers, or any otherdistance). In some examples, some participants of the plurality ofphysically dispersed participants may be located relatively closer toeach other, and some other participants of the plurality of physicallydispersed participants may be located relatively further away from eachother. At least one processor may facilitate the multi-participant videoconference between a plurality of physically dispersed participants(e.g., by transmitting audio and/or video between participants). Forexample, the at least one processor may be configured to receive and/ortransmit data associated with the video conference, to cause output ofdata associated with the video conference, to receive input of dataassociated with the video conference (e.g., from a user), and/or toperform any other desired functionality associated with the videoconference.

FIGS. 35, 36, 37, 38, and 39 are schematic diagrams illustrating varioususe snapshots of an example system for extracting video conferenceparticipants to an extended reality environment, consistent with someembodiments of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG. 35 , auser 3510 may use a wearable extended reality appliance 3512. At leastone processor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance3512 may facilitate a multi-participant video conference between aplurality of physically dispersed participants. The plurality ofphysically dispersed participants may be represented with virtualrepresentations (e.g., images, video streams, etc.).

Some embodiments involve enabling, via a wearable extended realityappliance, viewing of a first environment representing a physical spaceand a second peripheral environment. As with other instances of the useof forms of the term “enabling,” enabling in this instance may occurthrough one or more of providing, operating, storing, or runningsoftware, transmitting signals, providing controls (a user interface) orproviding or operating a platform that in whole or in part or directlyor indirectly permits or aids an occurrence of the associated function.Thus, the viewing via an extended reality appliance may be enabled viasoftware that interacts with hardware to, in whole or in part,authorize, facilitate, allow, or render a wearable extended realityappliance capable of viewing. Thus, providing, operating, storing, orrunning code, sending signals, and/or making accessible a videoconference platform (e.g., via video conference software) in which awearable extended reality appliance may be used, are each separateexamples of enabling viewing via the wearable extended realityappliance.

A physical space may include, for example, a room, a conference room, aclassroom, a discussion room, a work room, an office, a home, a house,an apartment, a living room, a bedroom, a kitchen, a hall, a concourse,an indoor space, a playground, an outdoor space, or any other desiredphysical environment or extent. In some examples, the wearable extendedreality appliance may be located in the physical space. A firstenvironment may include, for example, any type of surrounding,condition, circumstance, or extent that may represent the physicalspace. In some examples, the first environment may include the physicalspace itself. In some examples, the first environment may include avirtual representation of the physical space (e.g., as generated via awearable extended reality appliance). The second peripheral environmentmay include, for example, any type of surrounding, condition,circumstance, or extent. An environment may be considered “peripheral”if it is separate from or beyond a boundary of another environment.Therefore, whether in an edge region or in a center of a field of view,the second environment is considered peripheral to the first environmentif it is beyond a boundary of the first environment.

In some examples, the second peripheral environment may be configured tocontain a user interface for the multi-participant video conference. Forexample, the second peripheral environment may include a physicalscreen, a physical display, a virtual screen, a virtual display, or anyother type of suitable element via which a user interface for themulti-participant video conference may be outputted.

Enabling of viewing of the first environment and the second peripheralenvironment via the wearable extended reality appliance may occur invarious manners. For example, the enabling of the viewing via thewearable extended reality appliance may include permitting aview-through of the first environment including the physical spaceitself and projecting the second peripheral environment virtually. Insome examples, the enabling of the viewing via the wearable extendedreality appliance may include permitting a view-through of the secondperipheral environment (e.g., a physical screen, a physical display,etc.). In some examples, the enabling of the viewing via the wearableextended reality appliance may include projecting the first environmentas a virtual representation of the physical space.

In some embodiments, the first environment corresponds to the physicalspace in which the wearable extended reality appliance is located, andenabling viewing the first environment via the wearable extended realityappliance includes permitting a view-through of the physical space. Forexample, the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., a head-mounteddisplay) may be capable of showing images to a user (e.g., using adisplay via which projected images may be reflected to the user) andconfigured to allow the user to see through the wearable extendedreality appliance. When a user wearing the wearable extended realityappliance is present in the physical space, the wearable extendedreality appliance may be configured to permit the user to view thephysical space through the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., aview-through of the physical space).

In some embodiments, the first environment corresponds to the physicalspace in which the wearable extended reality appliance is located, andenabling viewing the first environment via the wearable extended realityappliance includes enabling projection of a virtual representation ofthe physical space. For example, the wearable extended reality appliance(e.g., a head-mounted display) may be capable of showing images to auser (e.g., using a display via which projected images may be reflectedto the user) and configured to allow the user to see through thewearable extended reality appliance. When a user wearing the wearableextended reality appliance is present in the physical space, thewearable extended reality appliance may be configured to project avirtual representation of the physical space. For example, an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance may beconfigured to capture images of the physical space when the wearableextended reality appliance is present in the physical space. Based onthe captured images, at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance may generate the virtual representation ofthe physical space. The virtual representation of the physical space,when viewed by a user, may have a look same as or similar to thephysical space (e.g., by overlying the virtual representation on thephysical space), or may have a look different from the physical space(e.g., by changing the size or extent of, or modifying, the virtualrepresentation of the physical space).

In some embodiments, the second peripheral environment corresponds to aphysical screen in proximity to the wearable extended reality appliance,and enabling viewing the second peripheral environment via the wearableextended reality appliance includes permitting a view-through of thephysical screen. For example, the wearable extended reality appliance(e.g., a head-mounted display) may be capable of showing images to auser (e.g., using a display via which projected images may be reflectedto the user) and configured to allow the user to see through thewearable extended reality appliance. A physical screen may include, forexample, a display, a light-emitting diode (LED) display, an organiclight-emitting diode (OLED) display, a liquid-crystal display (LCD), adot-matrix display, a touch screen, a light indicator, a light source,or any other device configured to provide optical output. When a userwearing the wearable extended reality appliance is located in proximityto the physical screen (e.g., both the wearable extended realityappliance and the physical screen are in a physical space such as aroom), the wearable extended reality appliance may be configured topermit the user to view the physical screen through the wearableextended reality appliance. The view-through of the physical screen maybe permitted when the wearable extended reality appliance and thephysical screen have any desired distance therebetween (e.g., 1 meter, 2meters, 3 meters, 5 meters, 10 meters, or any other desired distance).In some examples, the view-through of the physical screen may bepermitted based on determining that the distance between the wearableextended reality appliance and the physical screen is less than athreshold (e.g., 10 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters, or any other desireddistance), so that the physical screen as viewed by a user through thewearable extended reality appliance may be perceptible to a desiredextent from the perspective of the user.

In some embodiments, the second peripheral environment corresponds to avirtual screen in proximity to the wearable extended reality appliance,and enabling viewing the second peripheral environment via the wearableextended reality appliance includes outputting signals for projectingthe virtual screen via the wearable extended reality appliance. Forexample, the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., a head-mounteddisplay) may be capable of showing images to a user (e.g., using adisplay via which projected images may be reflected to the user) andconfigured to allow the user to see through the wearable extendedreality appliance. A virtual screen may include, for example, a virtualrepresentation of a physical screen (e.g., as projected or displayed bya wearable extended reality appliance). A virtual screen may have anydesired shape, color, contour, form, texture, pattern, or other featureor characteristic. A virtual screen may be configured to show content onthe virtual screen. In some examples, a virtual screen may resemble aphysical screen. In some examples, the wearable extended realityappliance may be configured to project the virtual screen to a user(e.g., by outputting signals of images representing the virtual screen).The projected virtual screen, as viewed by a user, may be at a desiredlocation for viewing by the user (e.g., at a location in front of theuser within a particular distance away from the user). In some examples,a virtual screen may be linked, tied, or attached to a particularlocation in a physical space, and the wearable extended realityappliance may output signals for projecting the virtual screen based ondetermining that a distance between the location of the virtual screenand the wearable extended reality appliance is less than a threshold(e.g., 10 meters, 20 meters, 30 meters, or any other desired distance),so that the virtual screen as viewed by a user via the wearable extendedreality appliance may be perceptible to a desired extent from theperspective of the user.

With reference to FIG. 35 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may enable the user 3510 toview a first environment 3514 representing a physical space and a secondperipheral environment 3516 (e.g., a physical screen, a physicaldisplay, a virtual screen, a virtual display, etc.).

Some embodiments involve enabling a display of the plurality ofparticipants in the second peripheral environment, the plurality ofparticipants including a first participant and a second participant. Aswith other instances of the use of forms of the term “enabling,”enabling may occur through one or more of providing, operating, storing,or running software, transmitting signals, providing controls (a userinterface) or providing or operating a platform that in whole or in partor directly or indirectly permits or aids an occurrence of theassociated function.

For example, transmitted signals transmitted via a platform may causethe second peripheral environment (e.g., a physical screen, a virtualscreen, etc.) to display the plurality of participants of themulti-participant video conference. In some examples, the plurality ofparticipants may be displayed in a user interface with any desired form(e.g., including multiple windows, panes, tabs, or other elements toshow the participants). In some examples, video streams of theparticipants may be displayed. In some examples, images of theparticipants may be displayed. Additionally or alternatively, theparticipants may be allowed to configure whether video streams or imagesmay be displayed for the participants. The plurality of participants ofthe multi-participant video conference may include a first participantand a second participant. The first participant may include anyindividual or other entity. The second participant may include anyindividual or other entity. In some examples, the plurality ofparticipants of the multi-participant video conference may include oneor more participants in addition to the first participant and the secondparticipant. At least one processor may enable the display of theplurality of participants. For example, the at least one processor mayreceive data (e.g., video data, image data, audio data, etc.) that maybe captured by image sensors, audio sensors, or other suitable devicesfor the plurality of participants. Based on the received data, the atleast one processor may cause display of the plurality of participants.In some examples, the plurality of participants of the multi-participantvideo conference may include a user of the wearable extended realityappliance, who may be or may not be displayed in the second peripheralenvironment as desired.

With reference to FIG. 35 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may enable a display of theplurality of participants 3518, 3520, 3522 in the second peripheralenvironment 3516. The plurality of participants 3518, 3520, 3522 mayinclude a first participant 3518 and a second participant 3520.

Some embodiments involve receiving a first selection of the firstparticipant in the second peripheral environment for virtual movement tothe first environment. Receiving a selection may include, for example,receiving signals that result from a choice or from some other trigger.This may occur for example, via a selection that occurs throughinteraction with a GUI. The resulting selection may then be received inthe form of signals. For example, at least one processor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance (or associated with a platformthat is run on a server and or in a cloud computing environment) mayreceive the first selection of the first participant in the secondperipheral environment. The first selection may be based on, forexample, input from a user of the wearable extended reality appliance.The user input may be provided to the at least one processor, forexample, using any desired input device (e.g., an image sensor, apointing device, a keyboard, etc.). The user input may be provided invarious desired manners, such as using a gesture of the user as capturedby an image sensor, using a drag-and-drop process as captured by apointing device, or using a command that a user may input via akeyboard. The user input may indicate that the user intends to cause thefirst participant as displayed in the second peripheral environment tobe moved to the first environment and to be displayed using a virtualrepresentation of the first participant in the first environment.

In some embodiments, the first selection of the first participant occursin response to a trigger detected in image data captured by an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance. Atrigger may refer to, for example, an event or circumstance that may bea cause of a particular action, process, or situation. For example, auser of the wearable extended reality appliance may initiate variousgestures (e.g., hand gestures, face gestures, etc.). An image sensorassociated with (e.g., part of or separate from) the wearable extendedreality appliance may be configured to capture image data of the scenes(e.g., including the gestures of the user). The trigger may be detectedin various manners, such as by performing an image analysis on thecaptured image data, and identifying whether any particular pattern,feature, or other characteristic is present in the image data. Thetrigger may include any desired pattern, feature, or characteristic,such as a hand gesture, a face gesture, any other suitable movementassociated with a person, a movement of a designated object, or anyother action or pattern. Some embodiments involve analyzing the imagedata to identify a gesture initiated by a wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance, the gesture serving as the trigger forvirtually moving the first participant to the first environment. Agesture may include, for example, any finger or hand motion, such as adrag, a pinch, a spread, a swipe, a tap, a pointing, a scroll, a rotate,a flick, a touch, a zoom-in, a zoom-out, a thumb-up, a thumb-down, atouch-and-hold, or any other action of a hand. In some examples, agesture may include an action of an eye, mouth, face, or other part(s)of a person's body. The captured image data may be analyzed, forexample, using a gesture recognition algorithm. Based on the analysis ofthe captured image data, at least one processor may identify that agesture of a wearer (e.g., a user) of the wearable extended realityappliance may indicate an interaction with the first participant asdisplayed in the second peripheral environment. The identified gesturemay serve as the trigger for virtually moving the first participant tothe first environment (e.g., causing the first participant as displayedin the second peripheral environment to be moved to the firstenvironment and to be displayed using a virtual representation of thefirst participant in the first environment).

In some embodiments, the first selection of the first participant occursin response to a trigger detected by a pointing device associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance. A pointing device may include,for example, a physical pointing device, a virtual pointing device, acomputer mouse, a joystick, a touchpad, a touch controller, and/or thelike. In some instances, the pointing device can be an anatomicalelement, such as a finger, that is detected as pointing. A pointingdevice may be communicatively coupled to at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance. The pointingdevice may be configured to detect user input, and to transmit the userinput to the at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance. Alternatively, the pointing device may bedetected by a sensor, and functionality determined based on the contextof the detection. The at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may analyze the data of the userinput to identify whether a trigger associated with the first selectionof the first participant is present in the data of the user input. Thetrigger may include, for example, a drag-and-drop process, a clicking onan image associated with the first participant, a clicking on aselection button associated with the first participant, or any otheraction that may indicate a selection of the first participant. Someembodiments involve analyzing pointing device movements to identify adrag-and-drop process, the drag-and-drop process serving as the triggerfor virtually moving the first participant to the first environment. Adrag-and-drop process may include, for example, a pointing devicegesture in which a user may select an item by grabbing it and draggingit from its current location to a different location or onto anotheritem. At least one processor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance may analyze the data of the user input from thepointing device associated with the wearable extended reality applianceand may, based on movements of the pointing device (e.g., as indicatedin the data of the user input), identify a drag-and-drop process (e.g.,selecting an image, icon, symbol, or any other indication of the firstparticipant as displayed in the second peripheral environment, draggingthe selected indication of the first participant to a location in thefirst environment, and dropping the selected indication at the locationin the first environment). The drag-and-drop process may serve as thetrigger for virtually moving the first participant to the firstenvironment (e.g., causing the first participant as displayed in thesecond peripheral environment to be moved to the first environment andto be displayed using a virtual representation of the first participantin the first environment).

In some embodiments, the first selection of the first participant occursin response to a trigger received from a physical keyboard associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance. A physical keyboard mayinclude, for example, a computer keyboard (e.g., a peripheral inputdevice which may use an arrangement of buttons or keys), a typewriterkeyboard, and/or the like. A physical keyboard may be communicativelycoupled to at least one processor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance. For example, the physical keyboard may detect userinput (e.g., as a user types on the physical keyboard), and may transmitthe detected user input to the at least one processor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance. The at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may analyze thereceived data of the user input from the physical keyboard, and mayidentify a trigger associated with the first selection of the firstparticipant. The trigger may include, for example, a command-linecommand that a user may type in via the physical keyboard to cause thefirst selection of the first participant, a shortcut command that a usermay activate using the physical keyboard to cause the first selection ofthe first participant, a particular button or key that a user mayactivate using the physical keyboard to cause the first selection of thefirst participant, a sequence or combination of keystrokes or otherinputs via the physical keyboard that may be configured to cause thefirst selection of the first participant, or any other action that mayindicate a selection of the first participant.

With reference to FIG. 35 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may receive a first selection3524 of the first participant 3518 in the second peripheral environment3516 for virtual movement to the first environment 3514. The firstselection 3524 may be, for example, based on a hand gesture 3526 of theuser 3510. The hand gesture 3526 may indicate the first selection 3524of the first participant 3518, for example, by pointing to the firstparticipant 3518 in the second peripheral environment 3516.

Some embodiments involve receiving a first environmental placementlocation associated with the first selection. In some embodiments, thefirst environmental placement location corresponds to a first region ofthe physical space. The first environmental placement location can beany area of choice. For example, it may include any indication of alocation for placing a representation of a participant (e.g., the firstparticipant) of the multi-participant video conference. In someexamples, at least one processor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance may receive the first environmental placement locationin connection with the receiving of the first selection of the firstparticipant. For example, the first environmental placement location maybe determined based on user input received from an input deviceassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., an imagesensor, a pointing device, a physical keyboard, etc.). As one example,an image sensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliancemay capture a gesture of a user, and the gesture may indicate the firstenvironmental placement location. As another example, a pointing deviceassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may detect userinput indicating the first environmental placement location (e.g., adropping location of a drag-and-drop process for the first participant,a clicking on a location that may be used as the first environmentalplacement location, a selection of a location that may be used as thefirst environmental placement location, or any other indication of thefirst environmental placement location). As another example, a physicalkeyboard associated with the wearable extended reality appliance maydetect user input indicating the first environmental placement location(e.g., a user may type in a location that may be used as the firstenvironmental placement location, a user may type in the coordinates ofa location that may be used as the first environmental placementlocation, etc.). The first environmental placement location maycorrespond to a first region of the physical space (e.g., in which thewearable extended reality appliance may be located). The first region ofthe physical space may include, for example, any location, area, space,scope, or extent that a user may select as the first environmentalplacement location. In some examples, input device(s) may be used toallow the user to select the first region of the physical space. Forexample, the physical space may be measured using a coordinate system,be segmented into a plurality of regions with designated identifiers, orbe measured or marked in other suitable manners. Input device(s) may beused to allow a user to select or indicate the first region of thephysical space, for example, based on identifying the coordinates of thefirst region, selecting the designated identifier for the first regionfrom the plurality of segmented regions, or other suitable methods.

With reference to FIG. 36 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may receive a firstenvironmental placement location 3610 associated with the firstselection 3524. In some examples, the first environmental placementlocation 3610 may correspond to a first region of the physical space.The first environmental placement location 3610 may be, for example,based on a hand gesture 3612 of the user 3510. The hand gesture 3612 mayindicate the first environmental placement location 3610, for example,by pointing to the first region of the physical space.

Some embodiments involve, in response to the first selection and thefirst environmental placement location, moving a virtual representationof the first participant to the first environment in a manner simulatingthe first participant physically located in the first region of thephysical space while the second participant remains in the secondperipheral environment. For example, in response to the first selectionand the first environmental placement location, at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may cause avirtual representation of the first participant to be displayed in thefirst environmental placement location in the first environment. Thevirtual representation of the first participant as displayed in thefirst environment may include, for example, a two-dimensional icon,image, symbol, or indication, or a three-dimensional graphical modelrepresenting the first participant. In some examples, the virtualrepresentation of the first participant as displayed in the firstenvironment may resemble the first participant (e.g., based on images orvideos of the first participant). In some examples, the virtualrepresentation of the first participant as displayed in the firstenvironment may include an animated or inanimate avatar for the firstparticipant (e.g., a two-dimensional or three-dimensional model of aperson with customizations). The virtual representation of the firstparticipant may be displayed (e.g., via the wearable extended realityappliance) in the first environment in a manner simulating the firstparticipant physically located in the first region of the physical spacewhile the second participant remains in the second peripheralenvironment. As used throughout, the term “manner simulating” mayinclude providing a sensation that a participant is in a particularlocation in which the participant is not physically located. In someexamples, image data of the first environmental placement locationcaptured using an image sensor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance may be analyzed to move the virtual representation ofthe first participant to the first environment in a manner simulatingthe first participant physically located in the first region of thephysical space. For example, the image data may be analyzed to detect afloor (for example, using a visual object detection algorithm), and thevirtual representation of the first participant may be moved to appearstanding on the detected floor. In another example, the image data maybe analyzed to determine a distance of the first environmental placementlocation from the wearable extended reality appliance, and the size ofthe virtual representation of the first participant may be adjustedbased on the distance. In some examples, at least one movement of thewearable extended reality appliance may be detected (for example, usinga motion sensor included in the wearable extended reality appliance,using an analysis of the image data using a visual ego-motion algorithm,etc.), and simulating the first participant physically located in thefirst region of the physical space may include adjusting a locationand/or an orientation of the visualization of the virtual representationof the first participant based on the detected movement, for example, tocompensate for the movement.

In some embodiments, moving a virtual representation of a particularparticipant to the first environment in a manner simulating theparticular participant physically located in a particular region of thephysical space includes processing video streams of the particularparticipant to remove a background initially associated with theparticular participant. Moving may refer to a change in location fromone place to another. For example, an image sensor may capture videostreams of the particular participant (e.g., the first participant, thesecond participant, or any other participant of a multi-participantvideo conference), who may be located in a physical space. The videostreams of the particular participant may include a backgroundassociated with the particular participant (e.g., the physicalenvironment surrounding the particular participant). A video backgroundremoval algorithm may be performed to process the video streams and toremove the background in the video streams as captured by the imagesensor. For example, a facial recognition algorithm, a backgroundsubtraction algorithm, or any other suitable method may be used toextract the particular participant (e.g., images or videos of theparticular participant) from the video streams. The images or videos ofthe particular participant extracted from the video streams captured bythe image sensor may be transmitted to other devices (e.g., the wearableextended reality appliance) and/or may be used to generate a virtualrepresentation of the particular participant (e.g., to be displayed bythe wearable extended reality appliance in the first environment). Insome examples, when the virtual representation of the particularparticipant is displayed by the wearable extended reality appliance inthe first environment, the displayed virtual representation of theparticular participant may not include the removed background of thevideo streams.

In some embodiments, moving a virtual representation of a particularparticipant to the first environment in a manner simulating theparticular participant physically located in a particular region of thephysical space includes generating an avatar of the particularparticipant. The particular participant (e.g., the first participant,the second participant, or any other participant of a multi-participantvideo conference) may have an avatar as the virtual representation ofthe particular participant displayed in the first environment. An avatarmay include, for example, an icon, figure, animation, simulation, orother indication representing a person. The avatar, when displayed, maybe two-dimensional or three-dimensional, and/or may be animated orinanimate. The avatar may be depicted or designed in any desiredartistic styles or character design methods. In some examples, theavatar may include animation that may simulate the facial expressions,body movements, and/or other actions of the particular participant inreal-time. For example, an image sensor may capture images or videos ofthe particular participant, and at least one processor may, based on thecaptured images or videos, determine the facial expressions, bodymovements, and/or other actions of the particular participant and causedisplay of animation of the avatar that may indicate the determinedfacial expressions, body movements, and/or other actions of theparticular participant.

In some embodiments, moving a virtual representation of a particularparticipant to the first environment in a manner simulating theparticular participant physically located in a particular region of thephysical space includes processing a two-dimensional video stream of theparticular participant to generate a three-dimensional representation ofthe particular participant. A “manner simulating” may include providinga sensation that the participant is in the other location. For example,an image sensor may be used to capture a two-dimensional video stream ofthe particular participant (e.g., the first participant, the secondparticipant, or any other participant of a multi-participant videoconference). In some examples, a depth map may be created for theparticular participant, the depth map indicating information relating tothe distance of the surfaces of scene objects from a viewpoint. Thedepth map may be generated, for example, based on the two-dimensionalvideo stream, such as the motion of a considered object, the motion ofthe image sensor, the degree of blur or defocus of a considered object,or other suitable aspects associated with the two-dimensional videostream. The depth map, in connection with the two-dimensional videostream, may be used to create the three-dimensional representation ofthe particular participant. Additionally or alternatively, athree-dimensional model of a person may be used as a template to whichimagery details of the particular participant obtained from thetwo-dimensional video stream may be added, to create thethree-dimensional representation of the particular participant. In someexamples, an artificial intelligence or machine learning model may beused to generate the three-dimensional representation of the particularparticipant based on the two-dimensional video stream of the particularparticipant.

In some embodiments, moving a virtual representation of a particularparticipant to the first environment in a manner simulating theparticular participant physically located in a particular region of thephysical space includes displaying the virtual representation of theparticular participant in the first environment and omitting the virtualrepresentation of the particular participant from the second peripheralenvironment. For example, when the virtual representation is moved froma second environment to a first environment, a viewer may be providedwith a sensation that the virtual representation is no longer present inthe second environment and is present in the first environment. Forexample, based on a selection of the particular participant (e.g., thefirst participant, the second participant, or any other participant of amulti-participant video conference) and/or a determined environmentalplacement location in the first environment for the particularparticipant, at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance may cause display of the virtualrepresentation of the particular participant in the first environment,and may cause the virtual representation of the particular participantto be no longer displayed in the second peripheral environment. In someembodiments, moving a virtual representation of a particular participantto the first environment in a manner simulating the particularparticipant physically located in a particular region of the physicalspace includes displaying a first version of the virtual representationof the particular participant in the first environment while displayinga second version of the virtual representation of the particularparticipant in the second peripheral environment. For example, based ona selection of the particular participant (e.g., the first participant,the second participant, or any other participant of a multi-participantvideo conference) and/or a determined environmental placement locationin the first environment for the particular participant, at least oneprocessor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance maycause display of the virtual representation of the particularparticipant in the first environment, and may continue to cause displayof the particular participant in the second peripheral environment. Asone example, a first version of the virtual representation of theparticular participant may be displayed in the first environment while asecond version of the virtual representation of the particularparticipant is displayed in the second peripheral environment. The firstversion and the second version may be different. For example, the firstversion may include a three-dimensional representation of the particularparticipant, and the second version may include a two-dimensionalrepresentation of the particular participant. As another example, thefirst version may be displayed in a regular or highlighted clarity, andthe second version may be displayed in a reduced clarity (e.g., withadded visual vagueness, such as with reduced image or video resolution,having an added blur to images or videos, having a reduced brightness orcontrast for images or videos, and/or the like). As another example, thefirst version may show a larger portion of the particular participant(e.g., showing the entirety of the particular participant), and thesecond version may show a smaller portion of the particular participant(e.g., showing the face of the particular participant only).

In some embodiments, the first region of the physical space includes aphysical object, and moving the virtual representation of the firstparticipant includes overlying the virtual representation of the firstparticipant on the physical object. A physical object may include anytangible thing, item, or entity, that exists in the physical world.Overlying refers to a condition where something is positioned at leastpartially on top of or at least partially covering or blocking somethingelse. For example, the physical object may include a floor of thephysical space, and the virtual representation of the first participantmay be overlying on the floor (e.g., to simulate the first participantstanding on the floor). In some examples, the physical object mayinclude, for example, a chair, seat, or sofa in the physical space, andthe virtual representation of the first participant may be overlying onthe chair, seat, or sofa (e.g., to simulate the first participantsitting on the chair, seat, or sofa). The physical object may includeany other type of physical item that may be located in the physicalspace as desired.

With reference to FIG. 36 , in response to the first selection 3524 andthe first environmental placement location 3610, at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance 3512 may move avirtual representation of the first participant 3518 to the firstenvironment 3514 in a manner simulating the first participant 3614physically located in the first region of the physical space while thesecond participant 3520 remains in the second peripheral environment3516. In some examples, the hand gestures 3526, 3612 of the user 3510may indicate a user intention to move the virtual representation of thefirst participant 3518 to the first environment 3514 (e.g., bydrag-and-drop hand gestures, by hold-and-move hand gestures, byselections of the first participant 3518 and its placement location inthe first environment 3514, or other suitable indications). Withreference to FIG. 37 , after moving the virtual representation of thefirst participant 3518 to the first environment 3514, the virtualrepresentation of the first participant 3518 may, for example, not bedisplayed in the second peripheral environment 3516, and the virtualrepresentation of the first participant 3614 may, for example, bedisplayed in the first environment 3514.

Some embodiments involve receiving a second selection of the secondparticipant in the second peripheral environment for virtual movement tothe first environment. Receiving the second selection of the secondparticipant in the second peripheral environment for virtual movement tothe first environment may be performed in a similar manner as receivingthe first selection of the first participant in the second peripheralenvironment for virtual movement to the first environment (e.g., asdescribed above). For example, at least one processor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance may receive the second selectionof the second participant in the second peripheral environment. Thesecond selection may be based on, for example, input from a user of thewearable extended reality appliance. The user input may be provided tothe at least one processor, for example, using any desired input device(e.g., an image sensor, a pointing device, a keyboard, etc.). The userinput may be provided in various desired manners, such as using agesture of the user as captured by an image sensor, using adrag-and-drop process as captured by a pointing device, or using acommand that a user may input via a keyboard. The user input mayindicate that the user intends to cause the second participant asdisplayed in the second peripheral environment to be moved to the firstenvironment and to be displayed using a virtual representation of thesecond participant in the first environment.

With reference to FIG. 37 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may receive a second selection3710 of the second participant 3520 in the second peripheral environment3516 for virtual movement to the first environment 3514. The secondselection 3710 may be, for example, based on a hand gesture 3712 of theuser 3510. The hand gesture 3712 may indicate the second selection 3710of the second participant 3520, for example, by pointing to the secondparticipant 3520 in the second peripheral environment 3516.

Some embodiments involve receiving a second environmental placementlocation associated with the second selection. In some embodiments, thesecond environmental placement location corresponds to a second regionof the physical space different from the first region. Receiving thesecond environmental placement location associated with the secondselection may be performed in a similar manner as receiving the firstenvironmental placement location associated with the first selection(e.g., as described above). For example, the second environmentalplacement location may include, for example, any indication of alocation for placing a representation of a participant (e.g., the secondparticipant) of the multi-participant video conference. In someexamples, at least one processor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance may receive the second environmental placementlocation in connection with the receiving of the second selection of thesecond participant. For example, the second environmental placementlocation may be determined based on user input received from an inputdevice associated with the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., animage sensor, a pointing device, a physical keyboard, etc.). As oneexample, an image sensor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance may capture a gesture of a user, and the gesture may indicatethe second environmental placement location. As another example, apointing device associated with the wearable extended reality appliancemay detect user input indicating the second environmental placementlocation (e.g., a dropping location of a drag-and-drop process for thesecond participant, a clicking on a location that may be used as thesecond environmental placement location, a selection of a location thatmay be used as the second environmental placement location, or any otherindication of the second environmental placement location). As anotherexample, a physical keyboard associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance may detect user input indicating the secondenvironmental placement location (e.g., a user may type in a locationthat may be used as the second environmental placement location, a usermay type in the coordinates of a location that may be used as the secondenvironmental placement location, etc.). The second environmentalplacement location may correspond to a second region of the physicalspace (e.g., in which the wearable extended reality appliance may belocated). The second region of the physical space may include, forexample, any location, area, space, scope, or extent that a user mayselect as the second environmental placement location. In some examples,input device(s) may be used to allow the user to select the secondregion of the physical space. For example, the physical space may bemeasured using a coordinate system, be segmented into a plurality ofregions with designated identifiers, or be measured or marked in othersuitable manners. Input device(s) may be used to allow a user to selector indicate the second region of the physical space, for example, basedon identifying the coordinates of the second region, selecting thedesignated identifier for the second region from the plurality ofsegmented regions, or other suitable methods. The second region of thephysical space may be different from the first region of the physicalspace. For example, the second region may not overlap with the firstregion.

With reference to FIG. 38 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may receive a secondenvironmental placement location 3810 associated with the secondselection 3710. In some examples, the second environmental placementlocation 3810 may correspond to a second region of the physical spacedifferent from the first region. The second environmental placementlocation 3810 may be, for example, based on a hand gesture 3812 of theuser 3510. The hand gesture 3812 may indicate the second environmentalplacement location 3810, for example, by pointing to the second regionof the physical space.

Some embodiments involve, in response to the second selection and thesecond environmental placement location, moving a virtual representationof the second participant to the first environment in a mannersimulating the second participant physically located in the secondregion of the physical space, such that when viewed through the wearableextended reality appliance, the first participant and the secondparticipant are simulated as being physically present simultaneously inthe first environment. In response to the second selection and thesecond environmental placement location, moving a virtual representationof the second participant to the first environment in a mannersimulating the second participant physically located in the secondregion of the physical space may be performed in a similar manner asdescribed earlier with the movement of a virtual representation of thefirst. For example, in response to the second selection and the secondenvironmental placement location, at least one processor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance may cause a virtualrepresentation of the second participant to be displayed in the secondenvironmental placement location in the first environment. The virtualrepresentation of the second participant as displayed in the firstenvironment may include, for example, a two-dimensional icon, image,symbol, or indication, or a three-dimensional graphical modelrepresenting the second participant. In some examples, the virtualrepresentation of the second participant as displayed in the firstenvironment may resemble the second participant (e.g., based on imagesor videos of the second participant). In some examples, the virtualrepresentation of the second participant as displayed in the firstenvironment may include an animated or inanimate avatar for the secondparticipant (e.g., a two-dimensional or three-dimensional model of aperson with customizations). The virtual representation of the secondparticipant may be displayed (e.g., via the wearable extended realityappliance) in the first environment in a manner simulating the secondparticipant physically located in the second region of the physicalspace.

After moving the virtual representation of the first participant to thefirst environment and moving the virtual representation of the secondparticipant to the first environment, the first participant and thesecond participant, when viewed through the wearable extended realityappliance, may be simulated as being physically present simultaneouslyin the first environment. The processes associated with selecting aparticipant (e.g., the first participant, the second participant, or anyother participant) from the second peripheral environment and moving theselected participant to a location in the first environment may occurduring the multi-participant video conference. The processes may allow auser of the wearable extended reality appliance to conduct the videoconference with virtual representation(s) of some participant(s)displayed in the first environment and virtual representation(s) ofother participant(s) displayed in the second peripheral environment,and/or may allow the user to change or arrange the manner in which anyparticipant of the multi-participant video conference may be displayed(e.g., in the first environment or in the second peripheralenvironment).

With reference to FIG. 38 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 3512 may, in response to the secondselection 3710 and the second environmental placement location 3810,move a virtual representation of the second participant 3520 to thefirst environment 3514 in a manner simulating the second participant3814 physically located in the second region of the physical space. Insome examples, the hand gestures 3712, 3812 of the user 3510 mayindicate a user intention to move the virtual representation of thesecond participant 3520 to the first environment 3514 (e.g., bydrag-and-drop hand gestures, by hold-and-move hand gestures, byselections of the second participant 3520 and its placement location inthe first environment 3514, or other suitable indications). Withreference to FIG. 39 , after moving the virtual representation of thesecond participant 3520 to the first environment 3514, the firstparticipant 3614 and the second participant 3814, when viewed throughthe wearable extended reality appliance 3512, may be simulated as beingphysically present simultaneously in the first environment 3514. Withreference to FIG. 39 , after moving the virtual representation of thesecond participant 3520 to the first environment 3514, the virtualrepresentation of the second participant 3520 may, for example, not bedisplayed in the second peripheral environment 3516, and the virtualrepresentation of the second participant 3814 may, for example, bedisplayed in the first environment 3514.

Some embodiments involve enabling a remote display of the virtualrepresentation of the physical space with the virtual representations ofthe first participant and the second participant, while withholding fromviewing via the remote display the second peripheral environment.Enabling, as used in this context has the same meaning discussedearlier. By way of non-limiting example, enabling remote display mayinvolve the direct or indirect transmission of signals for causing thedisplay, or the provision of a platform through which the remote displayis facilitated. The remote display may be caused to occur on any deviceor element that may provide visual output, such as a physical screen, aphysical display, a virtual screen, a virtual display, a wearableextended reality appliance, and/or the like. The remote display may belocated in a location remote from the wearable extended realityappliance described above. For example, the remote display and thewearable extended reality appliance (associated with arranging thedisplay of the first and second participants) may be located indifferent locations (e.g., in different rooms, in different buildings,in different cities, in different countries, etc.), and/or may have anydesired distance therebetween (e.g., 10 meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 1kilometer, 2 kilometers, 3 kilometers, 5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 100kilometers, 1,000 kilometers, 5,000 kilometers, 10,000 kilometers, orany other distance). In some examples, data representing the physicalspace in which the wearable extended reality appliance may be located,and data representing the first and second participants as displayed inthe first environment may be transmitted to the remote display foroutput. The second peripheral environment may not be displayed by theremote display. This may allow a view, via the remote display, of avirtual conference in the physical space with the first and secondparticipants virtually represented in the physical space. In someembodiments, enabling the remote display of the virtual representationof the physical space includes outputting signals for causing thevirtual representation of the physical space to be viewable onadditional wearable extended reality appliances. For example, signals ordata representing the physical space in which the wearable extendedreality appliance (associated with arranging the display of the firstand second participants) may be located may be transmitted to additionalwearable extended reality appliances (e.g., wearable extended realityappliances used by the first participant, the second participant, otherparticipants, or other persons). As one example, an image sensor may beused to capture images or videos of the physical space, and a virtualrepresentation of the physical space may be generated based on thecaptured images or videos. The virtual representation of the physicalspace may be displayed by the additional wearable extended realityappliances, for example, in a three-dimensional manner (e.g., allowingusers of the additional wearable extended reality appliances to have anexperience of being present in the physical space).

In some embodiments, the first region of the physical space isassociated with physical conditions, and moving the virtualrepresentation of the first participant includes adjusting presentationcharacteristics of the virtual representation of the first participantbased on the physical conditions. A physical condition may refer to, forexample, any circumstance, state, status, context, setting, or situationassociated with a physical region, area, extent, or location. Thephysical conditions of the first region may include, for example,lighting conditions associated with the first region (e.g., caused by anartificial source of light such as a lighting element or screen orcaused by a location in proximity to a window opening, or reflectivesurface) which causes one region to be brighter than another, physicalfunctions of the first region (e.g., whether the first region includesat least part of an entrance, pathway, etc.), physical objects in thefirst region (e.g., moving physical objects, stationary physicalobjects, etc.), or other circumstances or situations of the firstregion. Presentation characteristics of the virtual representation ofthe first participant may be adjusted based on the physical conditions,for example, when the virtual representation of the first participant isdisplayed in the first environment. A presentation characteristic mayrefer to, for example, brightness, shade, contrast, size, or anyconfiguration, feature, attribute, aspect, or manner for presentation ordisplay of data or information. The presentation characteristics of thevirtual representation of the first participant may include, forexample, display dimensions for the virtual representation of the firstparticipant (e.g., configurations for the virtual representation of thefirst participant to have a larger or smaller display size based onphysical objects, in the first region, that may be capable ofinterfering with the virtual representation of the first participant), adegree of illumination of the virtual representation of the firstparticipant (e.g., based on a degree of brightness of the first region),a color scheme of the virtual representation of the first participant(e.g., based on background color(s) of the first region), or otherconfigurations or features for displaying the virtual representation ofthe first participant. In some examples, image data captured using animage sensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance maybe analyzed to determine the physical conditions associated with thefirst region of the physical space. For example, a machine learningmodel may be trained using training examples to determine physicalconditions from images and/or videos. An example of such trainingexamples may include a sample image and/or a sample video of a sampleregion, together with a label indicating physical conditions associatedwith the sample region. The trained machine learning model may be usedto analyze the image data captured using the image sensor associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance to determine the physicalconditions associated with the first region of the physical space. Inanother example, a convolution of the image data captured using an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance may becalculated to obtain a result value. Further, the physical conditionsassociated with the first region of the physical space may be determinedbased on the result value. For example, when the result value is a firstnumerical value, the physical conditions associated with the firstregion of the physical space may be identified as a first set of one ormore conditions, and when the result value is a second numerical value,the physical conditions associated with the first region of the physicalspace may be identified as a second set of one or more conditions, thesecond set of one or more conditions may differ from the first set ofone or more conditions. In some examples, a data structure associatingregions of the physical space with physical conditions may be accessed(for example, in a memory, in a database, via an external device, via acommunication device, etc.) based on the first region of the physicalspace to obtain the physical conditions associated with the first regionof the physical space.

Some embodiments involve analyzing image data captured by an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance aftermoving the virtual representation of the first participant to the firstenvironment to identify a change in the physical conditions; and inresponse to the change in the physical conditions, readjusting thepresentation characteristics of the virtual representation of the firstparticipant to account for the changed physical conditions. Analyzingmay include performing image analysis on image data. For example, whenthe virtual representation of the first participant is displayed in thefirst environment, at least one image sensor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may capture image data of scenesincluding the first region in which the virtual representation of thefirst participant may be displayed. The captured image data may beanalyzed, for example, using a light condition analysis algorithm, anobject recognition algorithm, and/or any other suitable image processingalgorithm, to identify a change in the physical conditions of the firstregion. In response to the identified change in the physical conditionsof the first region, the presentation characteristics of the virtualrepresentation of the first participant may be readjusted to account forthe changed physical conditions. For example, the adjustment orreadjustment of the presentation characteristics may be based on rulesor mappings that may associate different sets of physical conditionswith their respective presentation characteristics. Additionally oralternatively, the adjustment or readjustment of the presentationcharacteristics may be based on presentation preferences configured by auser of the wearable extended reality appliance for different physicalconditions. As one example, identifying an increase in brightness of thefirst region (e.g., when a light bulb associated with the first regionis turned on) may cause the degree of illumination of the virtualrepresentation of the first participant to be increased (e.g., so thatthe virtual representation of the first participant may remain visuallyclear to a viewer, in view of the brighter ambient light associated withthe first region).

Some embodiments involve analyzing image data captured by an imagesensor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance aftermoving the virtual representation of the first participant to the firstenvironment to identify a change in the physical conditions; and inresponse to the change in the physical conditions, moving the virtualrepresentation of the first participant in the first environment in amanner simulating the first participant physically located in a thirdregion of the physical space different from the first region. Forexample, when the virtual representation of the first participant isdisplayed in the first environment, at least one image sensor associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance may capture image data ofscenes including the first region in which the virtual representation ofthe first participant may be displayed. The captured image data may beanalyzed, for example, using a light condition analysis algorithm, anobject recognition algorithm, and/or any other suitable image processingalgorithm, to identify a change in the physical conditions of the firstregion. In response to the identified change in the physical conditionsof the first region, the virtual representation of the first participantmay be moved in the first environment in a manner simulating the firstparticipant physically located in a third region of the physical spacedifferent from the first region (e.g., the virtual representation of thefirst participant may be moved from the first region to the thirdregion). The third region may, for example, not overlap with the firstregion. In some examples, the virtual representation of the firstparticipant may be moved from the first region to the third region basedon the identified change in the physical conditions of the first region,for example, to avoid a collision or interference of a physical objectentering the first region (e.g., a physical person walking into thefirst region) with the virtual representation of the first participant.For example, the image data may be analyzed using a visual objectdetection algorithm to identify the position of a physical object. Inone example, when the position of the physical object is in the firstregion, the virtual representation of the first participant may be movedfrom the first region to the third region. In another example, the imagedata may be further analyzed using a visual motion detection algorithmto identify a movement of the physical object. Based on the position ofthe physical object and the motion of the physical object, a prospectiveentrance of the physical object into the first region may beanticipated. Further, in response to the anticipation of the prospectiveentrance of the physical object into the first region, the virtualrepresentation of the first participant may be moved from the firstregion to the third region.

In some embodiments, the change in the physical conditions (associatedwith the first region) has no effect on physical conditions associatedwith the second region. Some embodiments involve, in response to thechange in the physical conditions associated with the first region,moving the virtual representation of the second participant in the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in a fourth region of the physical space different from thefirst region and the second region. For example, when the third regionoverlaps with the second region, moving the virtual representation ofthe first participant from the first region to the third region may becapable of causing the virtual representation of the first participantto overlap or interfere with the virtual representation of the secondparticipant in the second region. Thus, if the third region overlapswith the second region, when the changed physical conditions associatedwith the first region causes the virtual representation of the firstparticipant to move from the first region to the third region, thevirtual representation of the second participant may be moved from thesecond region to the fourth region, even when the physical conditions ofthe second region is not changed by such an extent that may cause movingof the virtual representation of the second participant from the secondregion to another region (e.g., the change in the physical conditionsassociated with the first region may have little or no effect on thephysical conditions associated with the second region). In someexamples, the fourth region may be different from the first region, thesecond region, and/or the third region. For example, the fourth regionmay not overlap with the first region, the second region, and/or thethird region. As one example, the changed physical conditions associatedwith the first region may cause moving of each of the first and secondparticipants by a position (e.g., by any desired distance, such as 0.5meters, 0.6 meters, 0.7 meters, 0.8 meters, 0.9 meters, 1 meter, 2meters, etc.) in a direction (e.g., in the left direction, in the rightdirection, in the front direction, in the back direction, etc.).

Some embodiments involve after moving the virtual representation of thefirst participant and the virtual representation of the secondparticipant to the first environment, receiving input from an individualusing the wearable extended reality appliance. In some embodiments, theinput is indicative of a particular position in the physical space. Forexample, when the virtual representations of the first and secondparticipants are displayed in the first environment by the wearableextended reality appliance, at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may receive input from an individualusing the wearable extended reality appliance. The input may include,for example, a user gesture as captured by an image sensor, a useraction as received by a pointing device, a user command as received by akeyboard, or any other desired information or indication that a user mayprovide. The input may indicate a particular position in the physicalspace (e.g., the particular position may be represented usingcoordinates of a coordinate system, using a designated identifier for alocation from a plurality of designated locations in the physical space,or represented in any other desired manner).

Some embodiments involve determining that the particular position isassociated with the first region. The particular position beingassociated with the first region of the physical space may include, forexample, the particular position being within the first region, or theparticular position being outside of the first region and having adistance to the first region less than a threshold distance (e.g., 0.05meters, 0.1 meters, 0.2 meters, 0.3 meters, 0.5 meters, 1 meter, 2meters, or any other desired threshold distance). Determining whetherthe particular position is associated with the first region may be basedon, for example, comparing the coordinates describing the particularposition with the coordinates describing the first region, or comparingother spatial descriptors for the particular position and the firstregion (e.g., to determine whether the particular position is within thefirst region, or whether the distance between the particular positionand the first region is less than the threshold distance when theparticular position is outside of the first region).

Some embodiments involve, in response to the determination that theparticular position is associated with the first region, presentingthrough the wearable extended reality appliance a plurality ofactionable virtual objects. In some embodiments, each actionable virtualobject of the plurality of actionable virtual objects enables theindividual to activate a different functionality associated with thefirst participant. A virtual object may refer to, for example, a visualrepresentation rendered by a computing device and configured torepresent an object. An actionable virtual object may refer to, forexample, a virtual object that, when activated, selected, or triggered,may cause performance of actions, processes, or functionalities. Theplurality of actionable virtual objects may include, for example, icons,symbols, images, widgets, or other indications of applications orfunctionalities. The plurality of actionable virtual objects may beanimated or inanimate. In response to the determination that theparticular position is associated with the first region, the pluralityof actionable virtual objects may be presented via the wearable extendedreality appliance. The presentation of the plurality of actionablevirtual objects may include, for example, listing the plurality ofactionable virtual objects (e.g., in a line, in multiple lines, in acircle, etc.) near (e.g., next to, on the left side of, on the rightside of, above, below, in front of, behind, around, etc.) the virtualrepresentation of the first participant in the first environment,surrounding the virtual representation of the first participant in thefirst environment with the plurality of actionable virtual objects,showing the plurality of actionable virtual objects in a designatedlocation (e.g., in the first environment or in the second peripheralenvironment), or presenting the plurality of actionable virtual objectsin any other desired manner. Each actionable virtual object of theplurality of actionable virtual objects may enable the individual usingthe wearable extended reality appliance to activate a differentfunctionality associated with the first participant (e.g., by selectingthe actionable virtual object). Each actionable virtual object of theplurality of actionable virtual objects, when activated, may causeperformance of one or more of various functionalities (e.g., initiatingemail communication with the first participant, initiating instantmessage communication with the first participant, initiating assignmentof control of the video conference to the first participant, initiatingassignment of presentation control for the video conference to the firstparticipant, initiating adjustment of display parameters for the virtualrepresentation of the first participant in the first environment,initiating adjustment of the display location of the virtualrepresentation of the first participant in the first environment,causing the virtual representation of the first participant to be movedfrom the first environment to the second peripheral environment, or anyother desired functionality).

Some embodiments involve receiving a selection of a particularactionable virtual object of the plurality of actionable virtualobjects. In some embodiments, the particular actionable virtual objectis associated with a particular functionality associated with the firstparticipant. For example, at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may receive a selection of aparticular actionable virtual object of the plurality of actionablevirtual objects. The selection of the particular actionable virtualobject may be based on, for example, user input from an input device(e.g., an image sensor, a pointing device, a keyboard). For example, theselection of the particular actionable virtual object may include a usergesture directed to the particular actionable virtual object as capturedby an image sensor, a clicking or activation of the particularactionable virtual object using a pointing device, a user commanddirected to the particular actionable virtual object that a user maytype in using a keyboard, or any other suitable information orindication received from an input device. The particular actionablevirtual object may be associated with a particular functionalityassociated with the first participant. For example, the particularactionable virtual object, when selected or activated, may causeperformance of the particular functionality associated with the firstparticipant. In some examples, the particular actionable virtual objectmay be associated with the particular functionality, for example, basedon the particular actionable virtual object (e.g., an identifier, anicon, a symbol, an image, a widget) serving as an electronic hyperlink,a link, a shortcut, a handle, a reference, an application programminginterface (API), or any other trigger, activator, connector, orindicator for the particular functionality.

Some embodiments involve, in response to the selection of the particularactionable virtual object, initiating the particular functionalityassociated with the first participant. For example, in response to theselection of the particular actionable virtual object, at least oneprocessor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance maycause performance of the particular functionality associated with thefirst participant. In some embodiments, initiating the particularfunctionality includes establishing a private communication channelbetween the individual and the first participant. The privatecommunication channel may be configured to allow the individual usingthe wearable extended reality appliance to communicate with the firstparticipant. The private communication channel may include, for example,any type of connection between the individual and the first participant,such as email communication, instant message communication, voicecommunication, video communication, or any other type of connection.Users other than the individual and the first participant may not beable to access the private communication channel (e.g., users other thanthe individual and the first participant may not be able to transmitinformation via the private communication channel, or to receiveinformation via the private communication channel). In some embodiments,initiating the particular functionality includes moving the virtualrepresentation of the first participant back to the second peripheralenvironment. For example, in response to the selection of the particularactionable virtual object, at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may discontinue display of thevirtual representation of the first participant in the first environment(e.g., a three-dimensional virtual representation), and may causedisplay of the first participant in the second peripheral environment(e.g., an image or video stream of the first participant).

Some embodiments involve a method for managing an extended realityconference, the method including: facilitating a multi-participant videoconference between a plurality of physically dispersed participants;enabling, via a wearable extended reality appliance, viewing of a firstenvironment representing a physical space and a second peripheralenvironment; enabling a display of the plurality of participants in thesecond peripheral environment, the plurality of participants including afirst participant and a second participant; receiving a first selectionof the first participant in the second peripheral environment forvirtual movement to the first environment; and receiving a firstenvironmental placement location associated with the first selection. Insome embodiments, the first environmental placement location correspondsto a first region of the physical space. Some embodiments involve: inresponse to the first selection and the first environmental placementlocation, moving a virtual representation of the first participant tothe first environment in a manner simulating the first participantphysically located in the first region of the physical space while thesecond participant remains in the second peripheral environment;receiving a second selection of the second participant in the secondperipheral environment for virtual movement to the first environment;and receiving a second environmental placement location associated withthe second selection. In some embodiments, the second environmentalplacement location corresponds to a second region of the physical spacedifferent from the first region. Some embodiments involve, in responseto the second selection and the second environmental placement location,moving a virtual representation of the second participant to the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in the second region of the physical space, such that whenviewed through the wearable extended reality appliance, the firstparticipant and the second participant are simulated as being physicallypresent simultaneously in the first environment.

Some embodiments involve a system for managing an extended realityconference, the system including at least one processing deviceconfigured to: facilitate a multi-participant video conference between aplurality of physically dispersed participants; enable, via a wearableextended reality appliance, viewing of a first environment representinga physical space and a second peripheral environment; enable a displayof the plurality of participants in the second peripheral environment,the plurality of participants including a first participant and a secondparticipant; receive a first selection of the first participant in thesecond peripheral environment for virtual movement to the firstenvironment; and receive a first environmental placement locationassociated with the first selection. In some embodiments, the firstenvironmental placement location corresponds to a first region of thephysical space. In some embodiments, the at least one processing deviceis configured to: in response to the first selection and the firstenvironmental placement location, move a virtual representation of thefirst participant to the first environment in a manner simulating thefirst participant physically located in the first region of the physicalspace while the second participant remains in the second peripheralenvironment; receive a second selection of the second participant in thesecond peripheral environment for virtual movement to the firstenvironment; and receive a second environmental placement locationassociated with the second selection. In some embodiments, the secondenvironmental placement location corresponds to a second region of thephysical space different from the first region. In some embodiments, theat least one processing device is configured to, in response to thesecond selection and the second environmental placement location, move avirtual representation of the second participant to the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in the second region of the physical space, such that whenviewed through the wearable extended reality appliance, the firstparticipant and the second participant are simulated as being physicallypresent simultaneously in the first environment.

FIG. 40 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 4000 forextracting video conference participants to an extended realityenvironment, consistent with some embodiments of the present disclosure.With reference to FIG. 40 , in step 4010, the process 4000 may includefacilitating a multi-participant video conference between a plurality ofphysically dispersed participants. In step 4012, the process 4000 mayinclude enabling, via a wearable extended reality appliance, viewing ofa first environment representing a physical space and a secondperipheral environment. In step 4014, the process 4000 may includeenabling a display of the plurality of participants in the secondperipheral environment, the plurality of participants including a firstparticipant and a second participant. In step 4016, the process 4000 mayinclude receiving a first selection of the first participant in thesecond peripheral environment for virtual movement to the firstenvironment. In step 4018, the process 4000 may include receiving afirst environmental placement location associated with the firstselection. In some examples, the first environmental placement locationmay correspond to a first region of the physical space. In step 4020,the process 4000 may include, in response to the first selection and thefirst environmental placement location, moving a virtual representationof the first participant to the first environment in a manner simulatingthe first participant physically located in the first region of thephysical space while the second participant remains in the secondperipheral environment. In step 4022, the process 4000 may includereceiving a second selection of the second participant in the secondperipheral environment for virtual movement to the first environment. Instep 4024, the process 4000 may include receiving a second environmentalplacement location associated with the second selection. In someexamples, the second environmental placement location may correspond toa second region of the physical space different from the first region.In step 4026, the process 4000 may include, in response to the secondselection and the second environmental placement location, moving avirtual representation of the second participant to the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in the second region of the physical space, such that whenviewed through the wearable extended reality appliance, the firstparticipant and the second participant are simulated as being physicallypresent simultaneously in the first environment.

Disclosed embodiments may involve determining default positions for therepresentations of participants in an extended reality conference basedon information associated with a physical environment of the user of awearable extended reality appliance. For example, if a physicalenvironment includes a bright window or a door that may interfere with aviewing experience for the user, the system may avoid placing virtualrepresentations of participants in those locations.

Some embodiments involve a non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for managingextended reality video conferences. The term “non-transitory computerreadable medium” may be understood as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. The term “instructions” may refer to program codeinstructions that may be executed by a processor. The instructions maybe written in any type of computer programming language, such as aninterpretive language (e.g., scripting languages such as HTML andJavaScript), a procedural or functional language (e.g., C or Pascal thatmay be compiled for converting to executable code), object-orientedprogramming language (e.g., Java or Python), logical programminglanguage (e.g., Prolog or Answer Set Programming), or any otherprogramming language. In some examples, the instructions may implementmethods associated with machine learning, deep learning, artificialintelligence, digital image processing, and any other computerprocessing technique. The term “processor” may be understood asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, the at least oneprocessor may be one or more of the server 210 of FIG. 2 , the mobilecommunications device 206 of FIG. 2 , the processing device 360 of FIG.3 , the processing device 460 of FIG. 4 , or the processing device 560of FIG. 5 , and the instructions may be stored at any of the datastructure 212, the memory devices 311, 411, or 511, or a memory of themobile communications device 206.

An extended reality conference may refer to, for example, any gathering,meeting, conversation, discussion, seminar, call, dialogue, chat, orinteraction associated with an extended reality environment. An extendedreality conference may allow participants to exchange ideas, thoughts,notes, opinions, or other desired information. An extended realityconference may be held in an extended reality environment, where one ormore participants are presented in a virtual manner. For example,extended reality conferences may occur using hardware, such as one ormore wearable extended reality appliances for simulating presentation ofone or more participants in a scene. For example, wearable extendedreality appliances may be used to establish a platform for the extendedreality conference, by generating a user interface for the extendedreality conference, capturing, receiving, or transmitting various typesof data associated with the extended reality conference, displayingvideo associated with the extended reality conference, outputting audioassociated with the extended reality conference, or performing any othersuitable action or functionality associated with the extended realityconference.

An extended reality video conference may occur completely in real timeor may include some content recorded in real time and additional contentprerecorded. In some examples, one or more participants in an extendedreality conference may physically appear in a scene while one or moreothers may be simulated in the scene. As one example, an extendedreality video conference may involve capturing, transmitting, receiving,and/or displaying videos of participants of the conference. A videoconference may include a live meeting or conversation conducted over acommunications network using multimedia technology, such as video andaudio communications. Participants in a video conference may communicatewith each other and collaborate in real-time, from any location. Videoconferencing may allow participants to see and hear each other, sharedocuments, and use collaborative tools such as virtual whiteboards orshared screens, to simulate a real (e.g., physical) conference. Anextended reality video conference may include a video conference wheresome or all of the participants may communicate via wearable extendedreality appliances. For example, each participant may see and/or hearthe other participants as virtual content presented via a wearableextended reality appliance. Managing extended reality video conferencesmay include controlling, organizing, supervising, administering,conducting, performing, guiding, or running extended reality videoconferences. In some examples, managing extended reality videoconferences may include acts or processes of positioning visualrepresentations of participants in a completely or partially simulatedenvironment, as described in greater detail herein.

Some embodiments involve receiving a request to initiate a videoconference between a plurality of participants. Participants may referto entities (e.g., including individuals, humans, avatars, devices,and/or other objects) engaging, partaking, or otherwise performingactions in a shared activity with other entities. The plurality ofparticipants may be located in different locations (e.g., in differentrooms, in different buildings, in different cities, in differentcountries, etc.). Two or more of the locations of the plurality ofparticipants may have any desired distance therebetween (e.g., 10meters, 50 meters, 100 meters, 1 kilometer, 2 kilometers, 3 kilometers,5 kilometers, 10 kilometers, 100 kilometers, 1,000 kilometers, 5,000kilometers, 10,000 kilometers, or any other distance). In some examples,some participants of the plurality of participants may be locatedrelatively closer to each other, and some other participants of theplurality of participants may be located relatively further from eachother.

Receiving may refer to, for example, taking delivery of, accepting,acquiring, retrieving, generating, obtaining, detecting, or otherwisegaining access to. For example, information or data may be received in amanner that is detectable by or understandable to a processor, asdescribed elsewhere in this disclosure. Receiving may involve obtainingdata via wired and/or wireless communications links A request mayinclude, for example, an appeal, petition, demand, asking, call, and/orinstruction (e.g., to a computing device to provide information orperform an action or function). A request to initiate a video conferencebetween a plurality of participants may refer to, for example, a requestto commence, institute, launch, establish, set up, or start a videoconference between a plurality of participants, or to cause a videoconference between a plurality of participants to begin. A request toinitiate a video conference between a plurality of participants mayinclude information regarding the time of the video conference, theduration of the video conference, and/or the topic of the videoconference, contact information of participants, and/or any otherinformation that may be used to initiate the video conference. In someembodiments, a request to initiate a video conference between aplurality of participants may include permissions granted toparticipants (e.g., permissions to speak and/or share documents duringthe video conference may be granted to selected participants). A videoconference may include, for example, any gathering, meeting,conversation, discussion, seminar, call, dialogue, chat, or interactionthat may involve video (e.g., video communication).

At least one processor associated with a wearable extended realityappliance may receive a request to initiate a video conference between aplurality of participants. Receiving of the request to initiate thevideo conference may be performed in a variety of manners. As oneexample, the at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance may receive a video conference call fromanother device (e.g., in real-time), and a user of the wearable extendedreality appliance may take the call to initiate a video conference.Receiving of the request to initiate the video conference may include orbe based on, for example, receiving the video conference call and/or theuser taking the call. As another example, the at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may receive alink to a video conference (e.g., in a meeting invite), and a user ofthe wearable extended reality appliance may activate (e.g., select orclick) the link to initiate the video conference. Receiving of therequest to initiate the video conference may include or be based on, forexample, receiving the link to the video conference and/or the useractivating the link.

FIGS. 41, 42, and 43 are exemplary use snapshots of perspective views ofa physical environment associated with positioning participants of anextended reality conference, consistent with some embodiments of thepresent disclosure. With reference to FIG. 41 , a user 4110 may use awearable extended reality appliance 4112. At least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance 4112 may receivea request to initiate a video conference between a plurality ofparticipants.

Some embodiments involve receiving image data captured by at least oneimage sensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance, theimage data reflecting a layout of a physical environment in which thewearable extended reality appliance is located. The terms “image data”and “image sensor” may be understood as described elsewhere in thisdisclosure. After, based on, and/or in response to receiving the requestto initiate the video conference between the plurality of participants,at least one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance may, for example, cause an image sensor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance to capture image data of a locationor environment in which the wearable extended reality appliance may belocated. The image sensor may be, for example, part of or separate fromthe wearable extended reality appliance. For example, the image sensormay be integrated with, or positioned in proximity to the wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., allowing at least one processor todetect one or more features of the physical environment surrounding thewearable extended reality appliance). The image sensor may transmit thecaptured image data to the at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance. The at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may receive theimage data from the image sensor.

The image data may reflect a layout of a physical environment in whichthe wearable extended reality appliance is located. A physicalenvironment may refer to, for example, any physical space, area, scene,region, location, or extent. The physical environment may include, forexample, a room, a conference room, a classroom, a discussion room, awork room, an office, a home, a house, an apartment, a living room, abedroom, a kitchen, a hall, a concourse, an indoor space, a playground,an outdoor space, or any other desired physical space, area, region,location, or extent in which the wearable extended reality appliance maybe located. A layout may refer to, for example, any a spatialarrangement, organization, setup, configuration, or structure. A layoutof the physical environment may include, for example, the way in whichthe physical environment and/or parts thereof may be arranged orpositioned. The layout of the physical environment in which the wearableextended reality appliance may be located may include, for example, thereal-world surroundings of the wearable extended reality appliance, suchas walls, surfaces, floors, ceilings, table tops, plants, furniture,doors, windows, tables, chairs, shelves, humans, animals, robots, lightsources, light conditions, and/or other physical characteristics of thephysical environment in which the wearable extended reality appliancemay be located. The image data may reflect (e.g., show, indicate,display, demonstrate, reveal, exhibit, or express) the layout of thephysical environment in which the wearable extended reality appliance islocated. For example, the image data may be obtained based on the imagesensor capturing the scenes of the physical environment.

With reference to FIG. 41 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 4112 may receive image data capturedby at least one image sensor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance 4112. The image data may reflect a layout of aphysical environment 4114 in which the wearable extended realityappliance 4112 is located.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data to identify at leastone interference region in the physical environment. Analyzing the imagedata may include, for example, performing one or more image processingtechniques, such as edge detection techniques, object detectiontechniques, pattern recognition techniques, facial recognitiontechniques, convolution, Fourier transforms, artificial intelligencetechniques (e.g., neural networks), machine learning techniques, deeplearning techniques, and/or other suitable techniques (e.g., to identifyor distinguish one or more features in the image data). At least oneprocessor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance mayanalyze the image data to identify at least one interference region inthe physical environment. An interference region in the physicalenvironment may refer to a location in a physical environment that, dueto one or more attributes specific to the location, may inhibit,obstruct, adversely affect, or interfere with viewing of virtual contentpresented in the location by a wearable extended reality appliance.Examples of such attributes may include a bright light (e.g., due to awindow or light fixture nearby), an obstructing object (e.g., furnitureor a support column in proximity to the location), an area of egresssuch as a doorway that may result in prospective interference, a displayscreen, a detected area of motion (e.g., an active hallway, road, orother pathway), mirror or other reflective placement, and/or any othercharacteristic or feature of the physical environment that may have anadverse effect on the viewing of the virtual content presented in thelocation by a wearable extended reality appliance. Identifying at leastone interference region in the physical environment may include, forexample, extracting one or more features from the image data (e.g.,using one or more suitable image processing techniques), and comparingthe extracted features to features stored in memory (e.g., using a list,a library, or any other desired data structure) that may be associatedwith interfering with the viewing of virtual content, to identify anymatches. Additionally or alternatively, by way of non-limiting examples,extracting may be based on artificial intelligence tools such asConvolutional Neural Networks (CNNs), object detection tools (e.g. YOLO,R-CNN, Faster R-CNN), image segmentation tools (e.g. Mask R-CNN, U-Net),image recognition tools (e.g. ResNet, Inception), Generative AdversarialNetworks (GANs), Autoencoders, Deep Belief Networks (DBNs), TransferLearning, Image Captioning models, facial recognition tools, objecttracking tools, scene understanding models, image super-resolutionmodels, generative models, neural style transfer, and/or visual questionanswering (VQA). In some examples, a machine learning model may betrained using training examples to identify interference regions inphysical environments from images and/or videos. An example of suchtraining examples may include a sample image of a sample physicalenvironment, together with a label indicating that a sample region ofthe sample physical environment is an interference region. The trainedmachine learning model may be used to analyze the image data andidentifying the at least one interference region in the physicalenvironment. In some examples, a convolution of at least part of theimage data may be calculated to obtain a result value, and theidentification of the at least one interference region in the physicalenvironment may be based on the result value. For example, when theresult value is a first numerical value, a particular region of thephysical environment may be identified as an interference region, andwhen the result value is a second numerical value, identifying theparticular region of the physical environment as an interference regionmay be avoided.

In some embodiments, analyzing the image data to identify at least oneinterference region includes performing image recognition analysis toidentify in the physical environment at least one of a window, adisplay, or an egress. A window may refer to, for example, any openingor aperture in a surface. For example, a window may include an openingor aperture in a surface (e.g., a wall or roof of a building or vehicle)that may be fitted with glass or other transparent material in a frameto admit light and/or allow people to see out. A display may refer to,for example, any device configured to permit exterior viewing. A displaymay include, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED) display, anorganic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, a liquid-crystal display(LCD), a dot-matrix display, a screen, a touch screen, a lightindicator, a light source, or any other device configured to providevisual or optical output. Displays may also include whiteboards,blackboards, smartboards, flipcharts, glassboards, projection screens,and dry-erase boards. An egress may refer to, for example, any physicalspace, area, location or object that may be used for accessing a site orscene. For example, an egress may include an entrance, an exit, a door,a doorway, a door frame, a pathway, a passage, a corridor, or any otherphysical space, extent, or object that may be used for access to aplace.

Image recognition analysis may refer to, for example, any process,method, or algorithm, such as examples provided earlier, that may beconfigured to obtain understanding for computing devices from images.For example, the image recognition analysis may transform visual imagesinto descriptions or understandings that may trigger or causeappropriate actions or processes. The image recognition analysis mayinclude, for example, object recognition algorithms, objectclassification algorithms, object detection algorithms, image annotationalgorithms, activity recognition algorithms, face recognitionalgorithms, or any other suitable algorithms or methods that may be usedfor computer vision or image processing. At least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may perform theimage recognition analysis to identify in the physical environment atleast one of a window, a display, or an egress. For example, the atleast one processor may extract features from the image data and comparethe extracted features with features stored in memory corresponding toat least one of a window, a display, or an egress. In some examples, anartificial intelligence or machine learning model (e.g., neuralnetworks, convolutional neural networks, etc.) may be used to processthe image data to identify at least one of a window, a display, or anegress.

The at least one interference region may be determined based on theidentified window, display, or egress in the physical environment. Forexample, the interference region may include a space or area near theidentified window or display (e.g., a particular space or area in frontof the identified window or display). Depending on design, theinterference region may extend beyond the particular window, display, oregress, where interference may be expected to occur. As another example,the interference region may include a space or area of the identifiedegress. In some examples, the interference region may be determinedbased on a location or angle of the wearable extended reality appliancerelative to the identified window, display, or egress. For example, theinterference region may extend from the identified window, display, oregress towards the wearable extended reality appliance. In someexamples, the interference region may correspond to a portion of a fieldof view of the wearable extended reality appliance, where the portion ofthe field of view may cover the identified window, display, or egress.In some examples, the interference region may include a pyramid-shapedspace, where the base of the pyramid is the identified window, display,or egress, and where the apex of the pyramid is the wearable extendedreality appliance. In some examples, the interference region may includethe space directly above the identified egress (e.g., a pathway) and/ornearby space. In some examples, the interference region may include aspace having any desired volume (e.g., 1 cubic meter, 2 cubic meters, 5cubic meters, 10 cubic meters, 20 cubic meters, 30 cubic meters, 50cubic meters, 100 cubic meters, 200 cubic meters, 500 cubic meters, orany other volume).

In some embodiments, analyzing the image data to identify at least oneinterference region includes performing image recognition analysis toidentify in the physical environment an area with light brighter thanlight in other areas of the physical environment. Image recognitionanalysis may refer to, for example, any type of method, processor, oralgorithm for image processing. As one example, the image recognitionanalysis may include a light condition analysis algorithm, an objectrecognition algorithm, or any other algorithm associated with computervision or image processing. An area may refer to, for example, anyregion, location, space, or extent (e.g., in the physical environment).Light may refer to, for example, any radiance, illumination, orbrightness. In some examples, at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may determine pixel brightness ofthe image data and may, based on the determined pixel brightness,identify in the physical environment an area with light brighter thanlight in other areas of the physical environment. For example, at leastone processor associated with the wearable extended reality appliancemay determine a region in one or more images of the image data with agreater degree of brightness than other regions in the one or moreimages. The determined region in the image(s) may correspond to the areain the physical environment with light brighter than light in otherareas of the physical environment. In some examples, the interferenceregion may be determined based on the area in the physical environmentwith light brighter than light in other areas of the physicalenvironment. For example, the interference region may be determinedbased on an area, in the physical environment, associated with (e.g.,near or next to) a window, a display, an opening in a wall, a lightsource (e.g., a light bulb, a lamp, etc.), or any other object that mayprovide illuminance or brightness.

In some embodiments, the identification of the at least one interferenceregion includes analyzing the image data to identify an inanimate objectin the physical environment. An inanimate object may refer to, forexample, any item, article, device, utensil, device, or entity that maybe motionless, stationary, immobile, or not moving. An inanimate objectmay include, for example, a chair, a desk, a shelf, a lamp, a book, awall, or any other item that may not move on its own (e.g., when notbeing moved by external forces). In some examples, an inanimate objectmay include an item that may have partial or insignificant movements ormotions but may be considered stationary overall, such as a printer, arefrigerator, a washing machine, a dishwasher, and/or the like.Analyzing the image data may include, for example, using any suitableimage processing algorithms, processes, or methods to process the imagedata, such as object recognition algorithms, object classificationalgorithms, object detection algorithms, image annotation algorithms,and/or the like. In some examples, at least one processor associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance may analyze the image datato identify an inanimate object in the physical environment. Theinterference region may be determined based on the identified inanimateobject. For example, the interference region may include the physicalarea, location, space, or extent that may be occupied by the identifiedinanimate object. Additionally or alternatively, the interference regionmay include the physical area, location, space, or extent that maysurround the identified inanimate object (e.g., to provide a buffer zonebeyond the occupied space of the identified inanimate object).

With reference to FIG. 41 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 4112 may analyze the image data ofthe physical environment 4114. For example, at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance 4112 may, basedon analyzing the image data, identify a physical object 4116 in thephysical environment 4114. The physical object 4116 may include, forexample, a window, a display, an egress, a door, an entrance, an exit, apathway, or any other object or item that may be associated withpotential interference with a user's viewing of a visual representationdisplayed in proximity to the object or item. With reference to FIG. 42, at least one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance 4112 may analyze the image data of the physical environment4114 to identify at least one interference region 4210 in the physicalenvironment 4114. The at least one interference region 4210 may bedetermined, for example, based on the identified physical object 4116(e.g., the interference region 4210 may include the space, area, region,or extent that may extend from the identified physical object 4116towards the wearable extended reality appliance 4112).

Some embodiments involve receiving visual representations of theplurality of participants. Visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants may refer to, for example, any data, signals, orinformation encoding, characterizing, indicating, or representing theplurality of participants visually. The visual representations of theplurality of participants may be displayed via a wearable extendedreality appliance (e.g., by causing images or videos of the plurality ofparticipants to appear, for example, to a user of the wearable extendedreality appliance). The visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants may be static (e.g., images) or dynamic (e.g., videos), maybe two-dimensional or three-dimensional, and/or may have any desiredcolor scheme (e.g., in color or greyscale). The visual representationsof the plurality of participants may be configured in accordance withany display parameters or settings of the wearable extended realityappliance. In some examples, the visual representations of the pluralityof participants may be adjusted or modified (e.g., the display size ofthe visual representations may be adjusted, the background of the visualrepresentations may be modified, the visual representations may becropped and/or filtered, and/or avatars may be used to substitute thevisual representations of participants).

At least one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance may receive the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants. For example, each participant of the video conference(e.g., located in a particular physical location) may be associated withan image sensor. Image data of each participant may be captured by theimage sensor for the participant, and may be used to generate a visualrepresentation of the participant. In some examples, one or more imageprocessing and/or editing processes or methods may be performed on theimage data of a participant captured by an image sensor to generate avisual representation of the participant. The visual representation ofeach participant may be transmitted via a communications network to theat least one processor associate with the wearable extended realityappliance. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one processorassociate with the wearable extended reality appliance may receive thevisual representations of the plurality of participants, for example,based on accessing a memory (e.g., locally or remotely via acommunications network) storing the visual representations of theplurality of participants.

With reference to FIG. 42 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 4112 may receive visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants.

Some embodiments involve causing the wearable extended reality applianceto display the visual representations of the plurality of participantsat multiple distinct locations other than in the at least oneinterference region, such that the at least one interference region isdevoid of any of the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants. Distinct locations may refer to, for example, anydefinitive or defined areas, regions, spaces, or extents (e.g.,delineated with borders or boundaries). In some examples, distinctlocations may include individual or discrete locations, separated fromeach other. In some examples, distinct locations may not overlap witheach other. Multiple distinct locations other than in the at least oneinterference region may refer to, for example, areas, regions, spaces,or extents of the physical environment outside of or excluded from theat least one interference region. In some examples, the multipledistinct locations may not overlap with the at least one interferenceregion.

Based on identifying the at least one interference region, at least oneprocessor associated with the wearable extended reality appliance maydetermine the multiple distinct locations for placing the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants. In some examples, athree-dimensional model of the physical environment may be created tofacilitate the determination of the multiple distinct locations. Forexample, based on the three-dimensional model representing the physicalenvironment, the at least one processor may exclude the at least oneinterference region from the physical environment for selectingplacement locations, and may select other regions in the physicalenvironment for placing the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants. Additionally or alternatively, the at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may, based onanalyzing the image data of the physical environment, determine aplacement condition score for each of a plurality of designatedlocations in the physical environment. The placement condition scoresmay be used for selecting the locations in the physical environment thatmay be preferable to place the visual representations of the pluralityof participants. For example, locations in the physical environment withhigher placement condition scores may be selected for placing the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants. The placementcondition score for a location in the physical environment may bedetermined based on one or more of various factors, such as the lightcondition of the location (e.g., whether the location is near a window,a display, or a light source), the physical function associated with thelocation (e.g., whether the location is part of or near a pathway,entrance, or exit), or other suitable factors or features of thelocation.

At least one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance may cause the wearable extended reality appliance to displaythe visual representations of the plurality of participants at multipledistinct locations other than in the at least one interference region,such that the at least one interference region is devoid of any of thevisual representations of the plurality of participants. For example,the visual representations of the plurality of participants (e.g.,two-dimensional or three-dimensional) may not be present in the at leastone interference region. The at least one interference region may notinclude any of the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants. For example, the at least one processor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance may not cause the wearableextended reality appliance to display any of the visual representationsof the plurality of participants in the at least one interferenceregion. In some examples, the at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may periodically or continuouslymonitor the physical environment to determine if the at least oneinterference region changes (e.g., moves its location, becomes larger,becomes smaller, etc.), and may change the manner in which the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants may be displayed, basedon any changes of the at least one interference region (e.g., so thatthe at least one interference region may not include any of the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants).

In some embodiments, causing the wearable extended reality appliance todisplay the visual representations of the plurality of participantsincludes virtually inserting the visual representations of the pluralityof participants into a portrayal of the physical environment. Aportrayal of the physical environment may refer to, for example, anyimage, representation, depiction, or rendering of the physicalenvironment. In some examples, the portrayal of the physical environmentmay include a virtual representation of the physical environment. Forexample, the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., a head-mounteddisplay) may be capable of showing images to a user (e.g., using adisplay via which projected images may be reflected to the user) andconfigured to allow the user to see through the wearable extendedreality appliance. When a user wearing the wearable extended realityappliance is present in the physical environment, the wearable extendedreality appliance may be configured to project a virtual representationof the physical environment. For example, an image sensor associatedwith the wearable extended reality appliance may be configured tocapture images of the physical environment when the wearable extendedreality appliance is present in the physical environment. Based on thecaptured images, at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance may generate the virtual representation ofthe physical environment. The virtual representation of the physicalenvironment, when viewed by a user, may have a look same as or similarto the physical environment (e.g., by overlying the virtualrepresentation on the physical environment), or may have a lookdifferent from the physical environment (e.g., by changing the size orextent of, or modifying, the virtual representation of the physicalenvironment). Causing the wearable extended reality appliance to displaythe visual representations of the plurality of participants may includevirtually inserting the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants into a portrayal of the physical environment. For example,the visual representations of the plurality of participants may bevirtually inserted into (e.g., added to, placed in, displayed in, etc.)the portrayal of the physical environment (e.g., the virtualrepresentation of the physical environment). The visual representationsof the plurality of participants may be inserted, placed, or displayedat suitable locations (e.g., corresponding to the multiple distinctlocations) in the portrayal of the physical environment.

In some embodiments, causing the wearable extended reality appliance todisplay the visual representations of the plurality of participantsincludes enabling permitting a view-through of the physical environmentand overlaying the visual representations at the multiple distinctlocations of the physical environment. For example, the wearableextended reality appliance (e.g., a head-mounted display) may be capableof showing images to a user (e.g., using a display via which projectedimages may be reflected to the user) and configured to allow the user tosee through the wearable extended reality appliance. When a user wearingthe wearable extended reality appliance is present in the physicalenvironment, the wearable extended reality appliance may be configuredto enable permitting the user to view the physical environment throughthe wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., a view-through of thephysical environment). Overlaying may refer to, for example, a conditionwhere something is positioned at least partially on top of or at leastpartially covering or blocking something else. At least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may causedisplay of the visual representations of the plurality of participants,for example, by overlaying the visual representations at the multipledistinct locations of the physical environment (e.g., in a mannersimulating the plurality of participants physically located in themultiple distinct locations of the physical environment).

With reference to FIG. 43 , at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance 4112 may cause the wearable extendedreality appliance 4112 to display the visual representations 4314, 4316of the plurality of participants at multiple distinct locations 4310,4312 other than in the at least one interference region 4210, such thatthe at least one interference region 4210 is devoid of any of the visualrepresentations 4314, 4316 of the plurality of participants.

Some embodiments involve receiving additional image data captured aftercausing the wearable extended reality appliance to display the visualrepresentations. For example, at least one processor associated with thewearable extended reality appliance may periodically or continuouslymonitor the physical environment (e.g., by receiving additional imagedata of the physical environment captured by an image sensor). Thephysical environment may be monitored after, during, or before thevisual representations of the plurality of participants are displayedvia the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., in a mannersimulating the plurality of participants physically located in thephysical environment).

Some embodiments involve analyzing the additional image data to identifya change of the at least one interference region in the physicalenvironment. In some embodiments, the change causes at least part of themultiple distinct locations to overlap with the changed at least oneinterference region. The change of the at least one interference regionmay refer to, for example, any variation, alteration, modification, oradjustment of the at least one interference region. The change of the atleast one interference region may include, for example, a change of theshape, size, volume, dimension, contour, number, or any other feature orcharacteristic, of the at least one interference region. The change ofthe at least one interference region may be determined based on, forexample, changed physical conditions of the physical environment (e.g.,as determined based on analyzing the additional image data). The changeof the at least one interference region may cause at least part of themultiple distinct locations at which the visual representations of theplurality of participants may be displayed, to overlap with the changedat least one interference region. For example, the changed at least oneinterference region may extend over so as to cover at least partly themultiple distinct locations. Non-limiting examples of changes in aninterference region may include a closed window shade, a display poweredoff, or any interfering object altered or moved in a way rendering theobject no longer interfering.

Some embodiments involve causing the wearable extended reality applianceto move at least one visual representation to a different location thathas no overlap with the changed at least one interference region, suchthat the changed at least one interference region is devoid of any ofthe visual representations the plurality of participants. For example,at least one processor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance may determine which one(s) of the multiple distinct locationsmay overlap with the changed at least one interference region (e.g.,based on comparing the coordinates or other spatial descriptors for themultiple distinct locations and the changed at least one interferenceregion). Based on identifying the location(s), of the multiple distinctlocations, that may overlap with the changed at least one interferenceregion, the at least one processor may move the visual representation(s)displayed at the identified location(s) to other location(s), in thephysical environment, that may not overlap with the changed at least oneinterference region. Based on the moving of the visualrepresentation(s), the changed at least one interference region may bedevoid of or may not include any of the visual representations theplurality of participants. In some examples, the other location(s) towhich the visual representation(s) may be moved may be selected in sucha manner that, after the moving of the visual representation(s), thevisual representations of the plurality of participants may not overlapor interfere with each other.

Some embodiments involve analyzing the image data to determinepresentation characteristics for at least one of the visualrepresentations. A presentation characteristic may refer to, forexample, brightness, shade, contrast, size, or any configuration,feature, attribute, aspect, or manner for presentation or display ofdata or information. The presentation characteristics for at least oneof the visual representations may include, for example, displaydimensions for the visual representation (e.g., configurations for thevisual representation to have a larger or smaller display size based onphysical objects, that may be capable of interfering with the visualrepresentation, in or near the location in which the visualrepresentation may be placed), a degree of illumination of the visualrepresentation (e.g., based on a degree of brightness of the location inwhich the visual representation may be placed), a color scheme of thevisual representation (e.g., based on background color(s) of thelocation in which the visual representation may be placed), or otherconfigurations or features for displaying the visual representation.Analyzing the image data may use any suitable image processingtechnique. For example, the image data of the physical environment maybe analyzed using a light condition analysis algorithm, an objectrecognition algorithm, and/or any other suitable image processingalgorithm, to identify the physical conditions or characteristics of thephysical environment (e.g., any circumstance, state, status, context,setting, or situation associated with a physical region, area, extent,or location). The presentation characteristics may be determined basedon the identified physical conditions or characteristics of the physicalenvironment.

In some embodiments, determining the presentation characteristics forthe at least one of the visual representations includes at least one ofperforming a lookup of stored preferences of a wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance or performing a lookup of preference data ofa corresponding participant of the video conference. Stored preferencesof the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance may refer to,for example, any rules, configurations, selections, or arrangementsassociated with the presentation characteristics. Via the preferences,the wearer may specify a mapping between physical conditions associatedwith the physical environment and corresponding presentationcharacteristics. The preferences of the wearer may be stored in anydesired data structure or storage (e.g., a table, a list, etc.). Alookup may refer to, for example, any search, retrieval, exploration,examination, or inspection. In some examples, at least one processor maysearch the stored preferences for a preferred set of presentationcharacteristics corresponding to a particular set of physical conditionsor characteristics of the location in which the visual representationmay be displayed.

In some examples, a particular participant of the video conference maybe allowed to configure the manner in which the visual representation ofthe particular participant may be displayed (e.g., by a wearableextended reality appliance), based on the physical conditions orcharacteristics of the location in which the visual representation maybe displayed. The particular participant may be allowed to input thepreference data (e.g., any information or data that may indicate rules,configurations, selections, or arrangements). Via the preference data,the particular participant may specify the particular participant'spreferences for presentation characteristics. In some examples, at leastone processor may search the preference data for a preferred set ofpresentation characteristics corresponding to a particular set ofphysical conditions or characteristics of the location in which thevisual representation of the particular participant may be displayed.

In some embodiments, the presentation characteristics includedimensions, and the dimensions of at least one of the visualrepresentations are determined to account for an existence of one ormore physical objects in the physical environment. A dimension may referto, for example, any size, measurement, extent, volume, or capacity. Insome examples, a dimension may include, for example, a length, width,depth, or breadth. A physical object may include any tangible thing,item, article, or entity that exists in the physical world. Thedimensions of the visual representation of a participant of the videoconference may be determined based on one or more physical objects inthe physical environment. For example, the visual representation may notbe displayed in a location where one or more physical objects (e.g., adesk, a shelf, etc.) are placed, and the dimensions of the visualrepresentation may be adjusted so that the visual representation may fitwithin the remaining areas of the physical environment (e.g., notincluding the one or more physical objects). In some examples, thedimensions of at least one of the visual representations may be scaledto match the scale of the one or more physical objects (e.g., a desk, adoor, etc.). For example, the dimensions of at least one of the visualrepresentations may be determined to be suitably proportional to (e.g.,not be giant sized or miniature relative to) the size of the one or morephysical objects (e.g., a desk, a door, etc.).

In some embodiments, the presentation characteristics include anillumination intensity associated with at least one of the visualrepresentations. An illumination intensity may refer to, for example,any degree, magnitude, or amount of radiance, light, or brightness(e.g., as emitted or reflected by something). In some examples, theillumination intensity associated with at least one of the visualrepresentations may be determined to account for light conditions in thephysical environment. For example, the visual representation may bedisplayed with a higher illumination intensity when the background ofthe physical environment for the visual representation has a higherdegree of brightness, and the visual representation may be displayedwith a lower illumination intensity when the background of the physicalenvironment for the visual representation has a lower degree ofbrightness.

In some embodiments, the presentation characteristics include a colorscheme associated with a background color in the physical environment. Acolor scheme may refer to, for example, the choice, arrangement,pattern, or configuration of colors (e.g., to be used in variouscontexts, such as artistic and design contexts). A background color inthe physical environment may refer to, for example, a color that may bepresent in the physical environment as a background for a visualrepresentation (e.g., displayed by a wearable extended realityappliance). In some examples, the background color may include a colorthat may occupy a large portion (e.g., a majority portion) of thebackground for a visual representation, or a color that may be moreprominent than other colors in the background for a visualrepresentation. The color scheme for a visual representation may bedetermined, for example, based on the background color for the visualrepresentation. For example, the color scheme for a visualrepresentation may be configured in such a manner that may create asignificant degree of contrast between the visual representation and thebackground for the visual representation (e.g., which may allow a userof a wearable extended reality appliance that may display the visualrepresentation to view the visual representation more easily).Additionally or alternatively, the color scheme for a visualrepresentation may be configured in such a manner that may not tend toconceal the visual representation in view of the background for thevisual representation.

Some embodiments involve receiving a location selection corresponding toa portion of the physical environment; confirming that the selectedportion of the physical environment is devoid of any interferenceregions; and causing the wearable extended reality appliance to displaythe visual representation of at least one of the plurality ofparticipants at the portion of the physical environment. A locationselection may refer to, for example, any user input that may indicate aselection, preference, choice, pick, or decision of a location.Receiving the location selection may include, for example, capturing,detecting, or obtaining the location selection via an input device(e.g., an image sensor, a pointing device, a keyboard, etc.). At leastone processor associated with the wearable extended reality appliancemay receive the location selection corresponding to a portion of thephysical environment. For example, a user may indicate a selection ofthe portion of the physical environment (e.g., by a hand gesturecaptured by an image sensor, by a clicking on the portion using apointing device, or by typing a command indicating the portion using akeyboard, etc.). In response to the location selection, the at least oneprocessor may confirm (e.g., determine, decide, verify, etc.) that theportion of the physical environment is devoid of any interferenceregions. For example, coordinates or other spatial descriptors may beused to describe the portion of the physical environment, and/or todescribe any interference regions. The at least one processor maydetermine that the portion of the physical environment is devoid of(e.g., does not include, or does not overlap with) any interferenceregions, for example, based on comparing the coordinates or otherspatial descriptors for the portion of the physical environment and forany interference regions. Based on determining that the portion of thephysical environment does not include or overlap with any interferenceregions, the at least one processor may cause the wearable extendedreality appliance to display the visual representation of at least oneof the plurality of participants at the portion of the physicalenvironment.

In some embodiments, the plurality of participants is a selected part ofa group of participants. Some embodiments involve receiving a selectionof the plurality of participants; and causing the wearable extendedreality appliance to display the visual representations of participantsincluded in the selected part of the group of participants whileomitting from the display the visual representations of participantsexcluded from the selected part of the group of participants. A group ofparticipants may refer to, for example, one or more participants of avideo conference that may be considered as a group, collection, or set.The plurality of participants for which visual representations may bedisplayed by the wearable extended reality appliance may be a selectedpart (e.g., a portion, subset, or section) of the total group ofparticipants. Receiving the selection of the plurality of participantsmay be performed in various manners. In some examples, the selection maybe received from a user (e.g., a wearer) of the wearable extendedreality appliance via an input device (e.g., an image sensor, a pointingdevice, a keyboard, etc.). In some examples, the selection may be madeautomatically (e.g., when the number of the group of participantsexceeds a selected threshold, when the volume of the physicalenvironment may not allow all of the group of participants to bedisplayed in the physical environment in a manner that may provide apreferable viewing experience for the user of the wearable extendedreality appliance considering the number of the group of participants ofthe video conference, etc.). For example, the selected part of the groupof participants may include those participants selected based on ameasured frequency or amount of activity (e.g., speaking, contentsharing, etc.) for each participant during a video conference, or othercharacteristics, features, metrics, or statistics for each participant(e.g., participants who may tend to speak more or be more active duringthe video conference may be selected to be included in the selected partof the group of participants).

During the video conference, and based on the selected part of the groupof participants, at least one processor associated with the wearableextended reality appliance may cause the wearable extended realityappliance to display the visual representations of participants includedin the selected part of the group of participants while omitting fromthe display the visual representations of participants excluded from theselected part of the group of participants. For example, the visualrepresentations of the particular participants included in the selectedpart of the group of participants may be displayed by the wearableextended reality appliance in a manner simulating the particularparticipants physically located in the physical environment.

Omitting from the display the visual representations of participantsexcluded from the selected part of the group of participants may referto, for example, forgoing, excluding, or preventing the displaying ofthe visual representations of participants excluded from the selectedpart of the group of participants via the wearable extended realityappliance in a manner simulating those excluded participants physicallylocated in the physical environment. For example, at least one processorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may not causedisplay of the visual representations of participants excluded from theselected part of the group of participants via the wearable extendedreality appliance in a manner simulating those excluded participantsphysically located in the physical environment. In some examples, basedon the omitting of the visual representations of the excludedparticipants, at least one processor may cause the excluded participantsand/or their visual representations to be displayed via a physicaldisplay or screen (e.g., separate from the wearable extended realityappliance) in the physical environment, or via a virtual display orscreen presented by the wearable extended reality appliance. In someexamples, the excluded participants and/or their visual representationsmay not be displayed to any extent during the video conference (e.g., inconnection with the physical environment or the wearable extendedreality appliance).

Some embodiments involve, after causing the wearable extended realityappliance to display the visual representations, identifying a speakingparticipant and moving a particular visual representation associatedwith the speaking participant to a designated area. The term“identifying a speaking participant” may include processing sensor datacaptured from one or more sensors (e.g., image sensor, microphone,and/or any other sensor configured to capture data indicative of aparticipant speaking) and/or digital media streams to determine which ofthe participants is currently the speaker. Specifically, any combinationof known audio detection algorithms and known video analysis algorithmsmay be used to determine which of the participants is speaking. Examplesof audio detection algorithms that can be used for identifying aspeaking participant may include Voice Activity Detection (VAD),energy-based VAD, spectral-energy-based VAD, pitch-based VAD,non-negative matrix factorization, Gaussian mixture model, and/or othersuitable algorithms. Examples of video detection algorithms that can beused for identifying a speaking participant may include facialrecognition, lip movement detection, body language analysis, head poseestimation, eye gaze tracking, speaker diarisation, and/or othersuitable algorithms. The accuracy and performance of these algorithmsmay depend on various factors such as the quality of audio and video,the complexity of the environment, and the presence of noise or otherinterfering factors. In some examples, there may be a group ofparticipants that may speak at the same time and the system may selectone of the group of participants as the speaker (e.g., based on rulesassociated with the participants). Alternatively, the system mayidentify all of the members of the group of participants as theco-speakers and address each of them as a speaker in the context of theembodiments disclosed below.

Some embodiments involve, after causing the wearable extended realityappliance to display the visual representations, identifying that afirst participant and a second participant are speaking during aparticular time span (for example, conversing, talking in turns, etc.),and moving a first visual representation associated with the firstparticipant to a first designated area and a second visualrepresentation associated with the second participant to a seconddesignated area. The orientation of the first visual representation andthe second visual representation may be selected, for example, to makethe first and second participants appear as facing one another, to makethe first and second participants appear as facing the wearable extendedreality appliance, and so forth.

The term “a particular visual representation associated with thespeaking participant” may refer to data encoded informationcharacterizing the speaking participant such that displaying the datavia an electronic display of a wearable extended reality appliance maycause digital (e.g., virtual) images of the speaking participant toappear (e.g., to the wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance).The digital images may be presented as static or dynamic (e.g., video)images, in two-dimensions or three-dimensions, in color or greyscale,and/or in accordance with any display parameters or settings of thewearable extended reality appliance. In some examples, the visualrepresentation can be associated with various data such as name, title,and role of the participant, which can be displayed alongside the visualrepresentation to help the participants identify who is speaking. Insome examples, the visual representation of the speaking participant mayundergo one or more modifications or adjustments (e.g., the size may beadjusted, the background may be modified, the image may be croppedand/or filtered, or an avatar may substitute a participant) to indicatethe speaker role.

The term “moving the particular visual representation” may refer tocausing a change in a location of the particular visual representationof the speaking participant such that the particular visualrepresentation is positioned in a new location in the extendedenvironment. For example, a visual representation of a particularparticipant may move from point A to point B upon detecting that theparticular participant started to speak. In some examples, moving theparticular visual representation associated with the speakingparticipant to the designated area may include a step of stopping fromdisplaying the particular visual representation associated with thespeaking participant at a previous location different from thedesignated area. In some examples, moving the particular visualrepresentation associated with the speaking participant to thedesignated area may include causing the wearable extended realityappliance to display the particular visual representation associatedwith the speaking participant at the new location while continuing todisplay the particular visual representation associated with thespeaking participant at the previous location. In some embodiments,moving the particular visual representation associated with the speakingparticipant to the designated area includes moving a specific visualrepresentation associated with a previously speaking participantdifferent from the speaking participant from the designated area. Thespecific visual representation associated with a previously speakingparticipant may be moved to a prior location used by the previouslyspeaking participant or to a new location outside the designated area.

The term “designated area” may refer to a specific location or regionwithin the extended environment that is assigned for presenting a visualrepresentation of a speaking participant. The designated area may bedefined by a set of coordinates or by using a bounding box and may bemarked by visual cues such as color or texture. In some examples, thedesignated area may be fixed in the extended environment. In someembodiments, the designated area includes a predetermined speakerlocation. The predetermined speaker location may refer to a specificlocation, within the extended environment, where a speaker is expectedto be located. For example, the predetermined speaker location may beselected based on the layout of the physical environment (e.g., thespeaker designated area may be on a table) and/or the layout of theextended environment (e.g., the speaker designated area may be adjacenta virtual screen). Alternatively, the predetermined speaker location maybe selected based on the multiple distinct locations of the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants. Additionally oralternatively, the predetermined speaker location may be selected basedon the identified location of the at least one interference region. Insome examples, image data captured using an image sensor associated withthe wearable extended reality appliance may be analyzed to select thedesignated area. For example, a machine learning model may be trainedusing training examples to select designated areas from images and/orvideos. An example of such training examples may include a sample imageof a sample physical environment, together with a label indicating asample selection of a sample designated area in the sample physicalenvironment. The trained machine learning model may be used to analyzethe captured image data and select the designated area. In someexamples, a convolution of image data captured using an image sensorassociated with the wearable extended reality appliance may becalculated to obtain a result value, and the designated area may beselected based on the result value. For example, when the result valueis a first numerical value, a first designated area may be selected, andwhen the result value is a second numerical value, a second designatedarea may be selected (e.g., the second designated area may differ fromthe first designated area).

In some examples, the predetermined speaker location may be a fixedposition in relation to the wearable extended reality appliance (e.g., 1meter in front of the wearable extended reality appliance). In thiscase, the predetermined speaker location may move with the movement ofthe wearable extended reality appliance. Some embodiments involveselecting the designated area based on a vision problem of a wearer ofthe wearable extended reality appliance. The vision problem of a wearerof the wearable extended reality appliance may refer to a specificchallenge or disability related to visual perception that the wearer mayexperience while interacting with the wearable extended realityappliance. For example, the vision problem may include limited field ofview and the designated area may be selected within the wearer's fieldof view.

In some examples, the designated area may be dynamic and may change overtime based on the actions or interactions of the wearer of the wearableextended reality appliance or other agents within the extendedenvironment. Some embodiments involve determining a region of focus of awearer of the wearable extended reality appliance, and moving theparticular visual representation to a new location in the region offocus. The term “region of focus” may refer to a specific area withinthe extended environment toward which the wearer's gaze or attention isdirected. For example, the wearer's gaze or attention may be trackedthrough the wearable extended reality appliance that use sensors todetect the wearer's head movements and gaze direction. This may allowthe system to determine where the wearer is looking and adjust theregion of focus accordingly. Upon identifying the speaking participant,the particular visual representation associated with the speakingparticipant may be moved to a new location in the region of focus. Incases where the speaking participant is already located in the region offocus, visual characteristics of the particular visual representationassociated with the speaking participant may be changed to designate whois the speaking participant.

FIGS. 45, 46, and 47 are exemplary use snapshots of perspective views ofa physical environment associated with designating a speakingparticipant, consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure. Byway of a non-limiting example, reference is now made to FIG. 45 and FIG.46 that together illustrate moving a particular visual representationassociated with a speaking participant to a designated area. FIG.depicts a user 4510 that may use a wearable extended reality appliance4512. At least one processor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance 4512 may facilitate a multi-participant videoconference between a plurality of physically dispersed participants. Theat least one processor may cause the presentation of virtual screen 4514and conference call window 4516 in it. The speaking participant may bepresented in a designated area 4518. The plurality of physicallydispersed participants may be represented with visual representations(e.g., images, video streams, virtual avatars, etc.). For example,participants may be associated with avatars as their visualrepresentations displayed in the extended environment. An avatar mayinclude, for example, an icon, figure, or other indication representinga person. The avatar, when displayed, may be two-dimensional orthree-dimensional, and/or may be animated or inanimate.

The multi-participant video conference may be between user 4510 and afirst participant represented by a first avatar 4520 positioned at firstlocation 4530, a second participant represented by a second avatar 4522positioned at second location 4532, a third participant represented by athird avatar 4524 positioned at third location 4534, a fourthparticipant represented by an image 4526 positioned in virtual screen4514, and a fifth participant represented by video stream 4528 alsopositioned in virtual screen 4514. First location 4530 may be determinedto be the speaker location out of all the multiple distinct locations ofthe visual representations of the plurality of participants. Forexample, first location 4530 may be determined to be the speakerlocation because it is closest to user 4510.

With reference to FIG. 46 , once the second participant answers to thefirst participant's question, the at least one processor may identifythe second participant as the speaking participant and the visualrepresentation of the second participant may be moved into designatedarea 4518. For example, first avatar 4520 may be moved from firstlocation 4530 to new location 4610, and second avatar 4522 may be movedfrom second location 4532 to first location 4530. New location 4610 maybe outside designated area 4518. In some examples, moving the visualrepresentation of the second participant may include displaying a firstcopy of second avatar 4522 at first location 4530, and displaying asecond copy of second avatar 4522 at second location 4532. Consistentwith the present disclosure, once the second participant stops speaking,the second avatar 4522 may be moved back to second location 4532.

As shown in FIG. 45 , some of the visual representations of participantsin the video conference may be displayed in a physical screen or avirtual screen. For example, fourth participant is represented by image4526 and fifth participant is represented by video stream 4528. In someexamples, moving the visual representation of the speaking participantto the designated area may include automatically extracting the visualrepresentation from virtual screen 4514 and displaying a visualrepresentation in designated area 4518. In some examples, the process ofextracting the visual representation from a virtual screen anddisplaying the visual representation in the designated area may involvegenerating a three-dimensional representation of the particularparticipant based on the two-dimensional video stream of the particularparticipant, as described herein.

Some embodiments involve after causing the wearable extended realityappliance to display the visual representations, identifying a speakingparticipant and changing visual characteristics of a particular visualrepresentation associated with the speaking participant to designate thespeaking participant. The term “visual characteristics” of theparticular visual representation may refer to the visual properties orattributes that define how the visual representation of a participantmay appear in the extended environment. In some examples, the visualcharacteristics may include geometric characteristics, for example, thevisual characteristics may include the visual representation's size,shape, and position in the extended environment. The visualrepresentation's size and shape may affect the perception of itsdistance, while its position may affect the perception of itsrelationship with other objects in the extended environment. In someexamples, the visual characteristics may include non-geometriccharacteristics. For example, the visual characteristics may include thevisual representation's color, texture, and illumination. The visualrepresentation's color and texture may affect the perception of thesurface properties of the visual representation, while the illuminationmay affect how the visual representation may stand out in the extendedenvironment.

In some examples, the visual characteristics of a visual representationmay be changed to designate the speaking participant. Changing a visualcharacteristic may refer to the process of altering or modifying one ormore of the visual characteristics that may define how the visualrepresentation of the speaking participant may appear in the extendedenvironment. Consistent with the presented disclosure, the degree bywhich the visual characteristics of a visual representation may bechanged may be based on the distance of the visual representation to aregion of focus of the wearer. In some embodiments, changing the visualcharacteristics of the particular visual representation includesenlarging the particular visual representation. Enlarging the particularvisual representation may refer to causing, making, or rendering theparticular visual representation to take up more space in the user'sfield of view. For example, when the particular visual representation islocated within the region of focus of the wearer, the size of theparticular visual representation may be enlarged by a desired percentage(e.g., by 3%, 5%, 10%, or any other desired percentage). Additionally oralternatively, when the particular visual representation is locatedoutside the region of focus of the wearer, the particular visualrepresentation may be enlarged by another desired percentage (e.g., 10%,15%, 25%, 35%, or any other desired percentage). In some embodiments,changing the visual characteristics of the particular visualrepresentation includes virtually illuminating the particular visualrepresentation. Virtually illuminating the particular visualrepresentation may include changing a manner in which the particularvisual representation may be virtually illuminated. For example,changing the manner in which the particular visual representation may bevirtually illuminated may include adjusting the virtual environment'slighting (e.g., changing the intensity, color, and direction of thevirtual lights that may illuminate the particular visualrepresentation), using post-processing effects (e.g., applying visualeffects such as bloom, lens flares, and color correction to enhance theoverall lighting on the particular visual representation), implementinghigh dynamic range lighting (e.g., rendering the particular visualrepresentation with a wider range of brightness, which may make thevirtual environment appear more realistic), or any other processingtechnique.

By way of a non-limiting example, reference is now made to FIG. 45 andFIG. 47 that together illustrate changing visual characteristics of aparticular visual representation associated with the speakingparticipant to designate the speaking participant. FIG. 45 is describedabove. FIG. 47 illustrates that once the second participant (e.g.,corresponding to second avatar 4522) answers to the question from thefirst participant (e.g., corresponding to first avatar 4520), the atleast one processor may identify the second participant as the speakingparticipant and the visual characteristics of the visual representationassociated with the second participant may be altered to designate thatthe second participant is the speaking participant. For example, thesize of second avatar 4522 may grow. Consistent with the presentdisclosure, once the second participant stops speaking, the size ofsecond avatar 4522 may return to its original size (e.g., the size ofsecond avatar 4522 may return to its size as shown in FIG. 45 ).

FIG. 48 illustrates a flowchart of an exemplary process 4800 foridentifying and designating a speaking participant, consistent withembodiments of the present disclosure. In some examples, process 4800may be performed by at least one processor (e.g., processing device 460)to perform operations or functions described herein. In some examples,some aspects of process 4800 may be implemented as software (e.g.,program codes or instructions) that may be stored in a memory (e.g.,memory device 411 of extended reality unit 204, as shown in FIG. 4 ) ora non-transitory computer readable medium. In some examples, someaspects of process 4800 may be implemented as hardware (e.g., aspecific-purpose circuit). In some examples, process 4800 may beimplemented as a combination of software and hardware.

With reference to FIG. 48 , process 4800 may include a step 4810 ofreceiving a request to initiate a video conference between a pluralityof participants. Process 4800 may also include a step 4812 of receivingsensor data captured by at least one sensor associated with each of theplurality of participants. The sensor data may indicate that acorresponding participant is speaking. For example, the sensor data mayinclude image data and/or audio data. Process 4800 may include a step4814 of analyzing the sensor data to identify a speaking participant.Process 4800 may include a step 4816 of receiving visual representationsof the plurality of participants. Process 4800 may include a step 4818of causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display the visualrepresentations of the plurality of participants in a manner thatdesignates the speaking participant. Process 4800 may additionally oralternatively include an optional step 4820 of moving a particularvisual representation associated with the speaking participant to adesignated area. Process 4800 may additionally or alternatively includean optional step 4822 of changing visual characteristics of a particularvisual representation associated with the speaking participant.

Some embodiments involve accessing a group of placement rulesassociating possible locations with layout of physical spaces;determining that the layout of the physical environment corresponds toone or more of the placement rules; and implementing the correspondingone or more rules to cause the wearable extended reality appliance todisplay the visual representations at the multiple distinct locations. Aplacement rule may refer to, for example, any configuration,arrangement, association, connection, instruction, guidance, ordirection for placing visual representations in a scene. Accessing mayrefer to, for example, receiving, obtaining, retrieving, acquiring,detecting, or gaining access to. A group of placement rules mayassociate possible locations with layout of physical spaces, and thepossible locations may indicate locations suitable for placing visualrepresentations. For example, a layout of physical spaces indicating afloor without any other object on the floor or nearby may indicate asuitable location for placement of a visual representation (e.g., byplacing the visual representation in a manner simulating the participantphysically standing on the floor). As another example, a layout ofphysical spaces indicating an empty chair may indicate a suitablelocation for placement of a visual representation (e.g., by placing thevisual representation in a manner simulating the participant physicallysitting on the chair). Determining that the layout of the physicalenvironment corresponds to one or more of the placement rules mayinclude, for example, searching, examining, or analyzing the layout ofthe physical environment for areas that may have the suitable featuresas indicated in one or more of the placement rules (e.g., a feature of afloor without any other object on the floor or nearby, or a feature ofan empty chair). Implementing the corresponding one or more rules tocause the wearable extended reality appliance to display the visualrepresentations at the multiple distinct locations may include, forexample, displaying the visual representations at the identified areasor locations (e.g., corresponding to the multiple distinct locations) inthe physical environment in the corresponding manners as specified inthe one or more rules (e.g., displaying a visual representation in amanner simulating a participant physically standing on the floor, ordisplaying a visual representation in a manner simulating a participantphysically sitting on the chair).

Some embodiments involve a method for managing extended reality videoconferences, the method including: receiving a request to initiate avideo conference between a plurality of participants; receiving imagedata captured by at least one image sensor associated with a wearableextended reality appliance, the image data reflecting a layout of aphysical environment in which the wearable extended reality appliance islocated; analyzing the image data to identify at least one interferenceregion in the physical environment; receiving visual representations ofthe plurality of participants; and causing the wearable extended realityappliance to display the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants at multiple distinct locations other than in the at leastone interference region, such that the at least one interference regionis devoid of any of the visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants.

Some embodiments involve a system for managing extended reality videoconferences, the system including at least one processing deviceconfigured to: receive a request to initiate a video conference betweena plurality of participants; receive image data captured by at least oneimage sensor associated with a wearable extended reality appliance, theimage data reflecting a layout of a physical environment in which thewearable extended reality appliance is located; analyze the image datato identify at least one interference region in the physicalenvironment; receive visual representations of the plurality ofparticipants; and cause the wearable extended reality appliance todisplay the visual representations of the plurality of participants atmultiple distinct locations other than in the at least one interferenceregion, such that the at least one interference region is devoid of anyof the visual representations of the plurality of participants.

FIG. 44 is a flowchart illustrating an exemplary process 4400 forpositioning participants of an extended reality conference, consistentwith some embodiments of the present disclosure. With reference to FIG.44 , in step 4410, the process 4400 may include receiving a request toinitiate a video conference between a plurality of participants. In step4412, the process 4400 may include receiving image data captured by atleast one image sensor associated with a wearable extended realityappliance, the image data reflecting a layout of a physical environmentin which the wearable extended reality appliance is located. In step4414, the process 4400 may include analyzing the image data to identifyat least one interference region in the physical environment. In step4416, the process 4400 may include receiving visual representations ofthe plurality of participants. In step 4418, the process 4400 mayinclude causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display thevisual representations of the plurality of participants at multipledistinct locations other than in the at least one interference region,such that the at least one interference region is devoid of any of thevisual representations of the plurality of participants.

In some examples, display signals representing a group of one or moreparticipants of an extended reality conference may be received (forexample, from a memory unit, from an external device, from an analysisof information, from external devices associated with the one or moreparticipants, and so forth). The one or more participants may not bephysically present in a physical room of a user of a wearable extendedreality appliance. Selection of positions in the physical room for theone or more participants may be received (for example, from a memoryunit, from a data-structure, from an external device, from a user, froman analysis of information, and so forth). The selected positions mayinclude a first position in the physical room for a particularparticipant of the one or more participants. The display signals may beused to cause a first presentation of the one or more participants viathe wearable extended reality appliance. The first presentation may bebased on the selected positions. After causing the first presentation,an indication that the particular participant is speaking may bereceived (for example, from a memory unit, from a data-structure, froman external device, from a user, from an analysis of information, and soforth). In response to the received indication that the particularparticipant is speaking, the display signals may be used to cause asecond presentation of the particular participant at a designatedposition (e.g., the designated position differs from the firstposition).

In some embodiments, systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media for enabling merging of virtual content in extendedreality conference(s) are provided.

In some embodiments, an indication of a participant of an extendedreality conference with a user of a wearable extended reality appliancemay be received. For example, a digital signal may be analyze toidentify the indication of the participant. In another example, theindication may include an indication of the existence of the participantand/or an indication of an identity of the participant. The user may beassociated with a first extended reality environment (for example, theuser may be physically present in a physical space corresponding to thefirst extended reality environment). The participant may be associatedwith a second extended reality environment (for example, the participantmay be physically present in a physical space corresponding to thesecond extended reality environment). The first extended realityenvironment may include a first virtual object. Further, display signalsrepresenting the first virtual object may be received, and displaysignals representing the participant may be received. A position for thefirst virtual object in the first extended reality environment may bedetermined. A position for the participant in the first extended realityenvironment may be determined. The display signals representing thefirst virtual object and the display signals representing theparticipant may be used to cause a first presentation of the firstvirtual object and the participant via the wearable extended realityappliance. The first presentation may be based on the position for thefirst virtual object in the first extended reality environment and theposition for the participant in the first extended reality environment.After the first presentation is presented, an indication that a secondvirtual object is included in the second extended reality environmentmay be received. Further, display signals representing the secondvirtual object may be received. A position for the second virtual objectin the first extended reality environment may be determined. The displaysignals representing the first virtual object, the display signalsrepresenting the participant, and the display signals representing thesecond virtual object may be used to cause a second presentation of thefirst virtual object, the participant, and the second virtual object viathe wearable extended reality appliance. The second presentation may bebased on the position for the first virtual object in the first extendedreality environment, the position for the participant in the firstextended reality environment, and/or the position for the second virtualobject in the first extended reality environment. In some examples, avirtual control element may be presented to the user, for example, viathe wearable extended reality appliance. The virtual control element mayenable the user to toggle between two modes of presentation (e.g., inthe first mode the second virtual object is presented via the wearableextended reality appliance with the first virtual object and theparticipant, whereas in the second mode the first virtual object and theparticipant are presented via the wearable extended reality appliancewhile the second virtual object is not presented).

In some examples, the position for the second virtual object in thefirst extended reality environment may be determined based on theposition for the participant in the first extended reality environment.In some examples, the position for the second virtual object in thefirst extended reality environment may be determined based on theposition for the participant in the first extended reality environmentand the position for the first virtual object in the first extendedreality environment. In some examples, the position for the secondvirtual object in the first extended reality environment may bedetermined based on the position of the user, the position for theparticipant in the first extended reality environment, and the positionfor the first virtual object in the first extended reality environment.In some examples, the position for the second virtual object in thefirst extended reality environment may be determined based on theposition for the participant in the first extended reality environmentand on a relative direction of the second virtual object with respect tothe participant in the second extended reality environment. In someexamples, the position for the second virtual object in the firstextended reality environment may be determined based on the position forthe participant in the first extended reality environment and on adistance of the second virtual object from the participant in the secondextended reality environment. In some examples, the position for thesecond virtual object in the first extended reality environment may bedetermined based on a motion pattern associated with the first virtualobject. In some examples, the position for the second virtual object inthe first extended reality environment may be determined based on amotion pattern associated with the participant. In some examples, theposition for the second virtual object in the first extended realityenvironment may be determined based on a motion pattern associated withthe user. In some examples, the position for the second virtual objectin the first extended reality environment may be determined based on aposition of a second participant of the extended reality conference. Insome examples, a size for the second virtual object in the firstextended reality environment may be determined, and the secondpresentation may be further based on the size for the second virtualobject in the first extended reality environment. In one example, thesize for the second virtual object in the first extended realityenvironment may be determined based on a size of the second virtualobject in the second extended reality environment. In one example, thesize for the second virtual object in the first extended realityenvironment may be determined based on a size of the second virtualobject in the second extended reality environment, a distance of thesecond virtual object from the participant in the second extendedreality environment, and a distance of the second virtual object fromthe participant in the first extended reality environment. In someexamples, the position for the participant in the first extended realityenvironment may be updated in response to the indication that the secondvirtual object is included in the second extended reality environment.In some examples, the position for the first virtual object in the firstextended reality environment may be updated in response to theindication that the second virtual object is included in the secondextended reality environment. In some examples, the user may be enabledto perform an action on the first virtual object and is prevented fromperforming the action on the second virtual object. In some examples,when the user performs an action on the first virtual object, a firstreaction may be initiated, and when the user performs the action on thesecond virtual object, a second reaction may be initiated. The secondreaction may differ from the first reaction. In some examples, theappearance of the second virtual object in the first extended realityenvironment visually may differ from the appearance of the secondvirtual object in the second extended reality environment. In someexamples, in response to an interaction between the second virtualobject and a physical object in the environment of the user, informationconfigured to cause a visual indication of the interaction in the secondextended reality environment may be transmitted.

In some embodiments, systems, methods, and non-transitory computerreadable media for selective actions in extended reality conference(s)are provided.

In some examples, display signals representing a group of one or moreparticipants of an extended reality conference may be received, forexample, as described above. The one or more participants may not bephysically present in a physical room of a user of a wearable extendedreality appliance. Further, positions in the physical room for the oneor more participants may be received. For example, the positions may beread from memory, may be received from an external device, may beselected (for example, as described above), and so forth. The displaysignals may be used to cause a first presentation of the one or moreparticipants via the wearable extended reality appliance. The firstpresentation may be based on the selected positions. An input from theuser may be received, for example, through a user interface, throughgesture(s) (for example, using gesture recognition algorithms), throughan input device, and so forth. The input may be associated with aparticular position in the physical room. It may be determined that theinput is associated with a particular participant of the one or moreparticipants, for example, based on the particular position and thepositions in the physical room for the one or more participants. In oneexample, in response to the received input, an action associated withthe particular participant may be initiated.

In some examples, in response to the received input, a plurality ofactionable items may be presented (for example, in a menu), eachactionable item may enable the user to activate a differentfunctionality associated with the particular participant, and the actionassociated with the particular participant may be selected based on aselection by the user of an actionable item of the plurality ofactionable items. In one example, the plurality of actionable items maybe determined based on the particular participant. In one example, theplurality of actionable items may be determined based on the position inthe physical room for the particular participant. In some examples, theaction may include presenting information associated with the particularparticipant. In some examples, the action may include enabling the userto use a physical keyboard paired with the wearable extended realityappliance to text chat with the particular participant. In someexamples, the action may include establishing a private communicationchannel including the user and the particular participant. In someexamples, the action may include repositioning of the particularparticipant. In some examples, the action may include sharing with theparticular participant a video captured using an image sensor includedin the wearable extended reality appliance from a point of view of theuser. In some examples, the action may include sharing with theparticular participant a virtual object presented to the user via thewearable extended reality appliance. In some examples, the action mayinclude sharing with the particular participant a video captured usingan image sensor included in the wearable extended reality appliance froma point of view of the user together with an overlay over the video of avirtual object presented to the user via the wearable extended realityappliance. In some examples, the action may include switching from athree-dimensional presentation of the particular participant to atwo-dimensional presentation of the particular participant. In someexamples, the action may include switching from a two-dimensionalpresentation of the particular participant to a three-dimensionalpresentation of the particular participant. In one example, the displaysignals may include a two-dimensional video stream of a particularparticipant, and the video stream may be analyzed to generate thethree-dimensional presentation of the particular participant. In someexamples, the action may be selected of a plurality of alternativeactions based on the particular participant. In some examples, theaction may be selected of a plurality of alternative actions based onthe position in the physical room for the particular participant. Insome examples, the input may be further associated with a filter, andthe action may include applying the filter to modify the presentation ofthe particular participant in the first presentation. In one example,applying the filter may be configured to lessen but not completelydissipate movements of the particular participant. In one example,applying the filter may be configured to completely dissipate movementsof the particular participant. In one example, applying the filter maybe configured to reduce intensity of presentation of the particularparticipant. In one example, applying the filter may be configured toreduce opacity associated with the presentation of the particularparticipant. In some examples, a signal indicating a notificationoriginating from a specific participant of the one or more participantsmay be received, and in response to the received signal, a presentationof a visual indication of the notification via the wearable extendedreality appliance may be caused to appear in connection with thepresentation of the specific participant in the first presentation. Insome examples, the display signals may include a two-dimensional videostream of a specific participant of the one or more participants, thevideo stream may be analyzed to generate a three-dimensionalpresentation of the specific participant, and the first presentation mayinclude a presentation of the three-dimensional presentation of thespecific participant. In some examples, the first presentation mayfurther include a presentation of a virtual replica of the user in thephysical room.

Implementation of the method and system of the present disclosure mayinvolve performing or completing certain selected tasks or stepsmanually, automatically, or a combination thereof. Moreover, accordingto actual instrumentation and equipment of preferred embodiments of themethod and system of the present disclosure, several selected steps maybe implemented by hardware (HW) or by software (SW) on any operatingsystem of any firmware, or by a combination thereof. For example, ashardware, selected steps of the disclosure could be implemented as achip or a circuit. As software or algorithm, selected steps of thedisclosure could be implemented as a plurality of software instructionsbeing executed by a computer using any suitable operating system. In anycase, selected steps of the method and system of the disclosure could bedescribed as being performed by a data processor, such as a computingdevice for executing a plurality of instructions.

Various implementations of the systems and techniques described here canbe realized in digital electronic circuitry, integrated circuitry,specially designed ASICs (application specific integrated circuits),computer hardware, firmware, software, and/or combinations thereof.These various implementations can include implementation in one or morecomputer programs that are executable and/or interpretable on aprogrammable system including at least one programmable processor, whichmay be special or general purpose, coupled to receive data andinstructions from, and to transmit data and instructions to, a storagesystem, at least one input device, and at least one output device.

The systems and techniques described here can be implemented in acomputing system that includes a back end component (e.g., as a dataserver), or that includes a middleware component (e.g., an applicationserver), or that includes a front end component (e.g., a client computerhaving a graphical user interface or a Web browser through which a usercan interact with an implementation of the systems and techniquesdescribed here), or any combination of such back end, middleware, orfront end components. The components of the system can be interconnectedby any form or medium of digital data communication (e.g., acommunication network). Examples of communication networks include alocal area network (“LAN”), a wide area network (“WAN”), and theInternet. The computing system can include clients and servers. A clientand server are generally remote from each other and typically interactthrough a communication network. The relationship of client and serverarises by virtue of computer programs running on the respectivecomputers and having a client-server relationship to each other.

Disclosed embodiments may include any one of the followingbullet-pointed features alone or in combination with one or more otherbullet-pointed features, whether implemented as a system, a method, byat least one processor or circuitry, and/or stored as executableinstructions on non-transitory computer readable media or computerreadable media.

-   -   operations for enabling user interface display mode toggling:    -   presenting information in a first display region, the first        display region having predefined boundaries, wherein the        information is manipulatable via a user interface presentable in        the first display region    -   presenting, via a wearable extended reality appliance, a second        display region beyond the predefined boundaries of the first        display region    -   wherein the second display region is visible via the wearable        extended reality appliance    -   providing a control for altering a location of the user        interface, wherein in a first mode, the user interface is        presented in the first display region while the information is        presented in the first display region and in a second mode    -   the user interface is presented in the second display region        outside the predefined boundaries of the first display region        while the information is presented in the first display region    -   enabling toggling between the first mode and the second mode via        the control    -   the predefined boundaries are associated with a physical screen        and the display of the information occurs via the physical        screen    -   in the first mode the user interface is presented in a two        dimensional form and in the second mode the user interface is        presented in a three dimensional form    -   the predefined boundaries are associated with a physical object        and the display of the information is performed by the wearable        extended reality appliance by overlaying the information in        virtual form, on the physical object    -   in the first mode the user interface has a first appearance, and        in the second mode the user interface has a second appearance        different than the first appearance    -   the first appearance is a minimized version of the user        interface, and the second appearance is an unminimized version        of the user interface    -   the first mode, an unminimized version of the user interface is        presented in the first display region and in the second mode,        the unminimized version of the user interface is presented in        the second display region outside the predefined boundaries of        the first display region while a minimized version of the user        interface is presented in the first display region    -   activation of a particular UI element in the first mode causes a        predetermined action within the predefined boundaries, and        activation of the particular UI element in the second mode        causes the predetermined action outside the predefined        boundaries    -   activation of a particular UI element in the first mode causes a        first action, and activation of the particular UI element in the        second mode causes a second action different from the first        action    -   providing an additional control for presenting a minimized        version of the user interface in the first display region or in        the second display region    -   the control is configured to receive an input to enable the        toggling between the first mode and the second mode    -   the input is received from an image sensor associated with the        wearable extended reality appliance    -   the input is received from a pointer associated with the        wearable extended reality appliance    -   the wearable extended reality appliance is paired with a        physical keyboard, the keyboard enables insertion of textual        content to the information, and the input is received from the        keyboard    -   in the first mode, manipulation of the information in the first        display region is enabled from within the first display region,        and in the second mode, manipulation of the information in the        first display region is enabled from the second display region.    -   in the first mode, the information in the first display region        is presented at a first size, and in the second mode, the        information in the first display region is presented at a second        size greater than the first size    -   in the second mode, a volume of information presented in the        first display region is greater than a volume of information        presented in the first mode    -   receiving image data captured using an image sensor associated        with the wearable extended reality appliance; analyzing the        image data to detect a physical object; based on the detected        physical object, selecting a position outside the predefined        boundaries of the first display region for the presentation of        the user interface in the second mode; and in the second mode,        enabling interaction with the user interface through interaction        with the physical object    -   operations for enabling location-based virtual content    -   receiving an indication of an initial location of a particular        wearable extended reality appliance    -   performing a first lookup in a repository for a match between        the initial location and a first extended reality display rule        associating the particular wearable extended reality appliance        with the initial location    -   the first extended reality display rule permits a first type of        content display in the initial location and prevents a second        type of content display in the initial location    -   implementing the first extended reality display rule to thereby        enable first instances of the first type of content to be        displayed at the initial location via the particular wearable        extended reality appliance while preventing second instances of        the second type of content from being displayed at the initial        location via the particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   receiving an indication of a subsequent location of the        particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   performing a second lookup in the repository for a match between        the subsequent location and a second extended reality display        rule associating the particular wearable extended reality        appliance with the subsequent location    -   the second extended reality display rule prevents the first type        of content display in the subsequent location and permits the        second type of content display in the subsequent location    -   implementing the second extended reality display rule to enable        third instances of the second type of content to be displayed at        the subsequent location via the particular wearable extended        reality appliance while preventing fourth instances of the first        type of content from being displayed at the subsequent location        via the particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   the initial location and the subsequent location are each a        location category    -   the initial location and the subsequent location are associated        with different establishments    -   while the particular wearable extended reality appliance is in        the initial location, receiving via the particular wearable        extended reality appliance a toggle signal permitting display of        the second instances of the second type of content at the        initial location via the particular wearable extended reality        appliance    -   first type of content includes layers of content and receiving        revisions to the first extended reality display rule in real        time for selectively enabling content layer display at the        initial location via the particular wearable extended reality        appliance    -   the layers of content include at least one of a virtual        facilities layer, a mapping layer, an advertising layer, a        coupon layer, an information layer, or an age-restricted layer.    -   the first instances of the first type of content include a first        plurality of virtual objects, and wherein the second instances        of the second type of content include a second plurality of        virtual objects    -   at least one of the second plurality of virtual objects includes        a location-based description of associated services    -   at least one of the second plurality of virtual objects includes        a virtual user interface for enabling purchases of        location-based services    -   at least one of the second plurality of virtual objects includes        an interactive virtual object for assisting a wearer of the        particular wearable extended reality appliance to navigate in        the subsequent location of the particular wearable extended        reality appliance    -   at least one of the second plurality of virtual objects includes        promoted content    -   receiving an indication of a new location of the particular        wearable extended reality appliance; performing a third lookup        in the repository for a match between the new location and an        extended reality display rule associating the particular        wearable extended reality appliance with the new location; and        when no match associating the particular wearable extended        reality appliance with the new location is found, implementing a        default extended reality display rule.    -   the default extended reality display rule is predetermined by a        wearer of the particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   receiving an indication that an additional wearable extended        reality appliance is at the initial location    -   performing a third lookup in the repository for a match between        the initial location and a third extended reality display rule        associating the additional wearable extended reality appliance        with the initial location, wherein the third extended reality        display rule permits the first type of content and the second        type of content to be displayed in the initial location    -   implementing the third extended reality display rule to thereby        enable the first instances of the first type of content and the        second instances of the second type of content to be displayed        at the initial location via the additional wearable extended        reality appliance while preventing the second instances of the        second type of content from being displayed at the initial        location via the particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   accessing a user profile associated with the particular wearable        extended reality appliance, the user profile associating        permitted types of content with locations, wherein performing a        lookup in the repository to identify an extended reality display        rule is based on the user profile    -   while the particular wearable extended reality appliance is in        the initial location, causing the particular wearable extended        reality appliance to display a graphical user interface (GUI)        element indicative of an existence of the second instances of        the second type of content    -   identifying an interaction with the GUI element for permitting a        display of the second instances of the second type of content at        the initial location via the particular wearable extended        reality appliance    -   in response to the identified interaction, causing a display of        the second instances of the second type of content at the        initial location via the particular wearable extended reality        appliance    -   receiving an indication of a third location of the particular        wearable extended reality appliance    -   performing a third lookup in the repository for a match between        the third location and a third extended reality display rule        associating the particular wearable extended reality appliance        with the third location, wherein the third extended reality        display rule permits the first type of content and the second        type of content to be displayed in the third location    -   implementing the third extended reality display rule to enable        fifth instances of the first type of content and sixth instances        of the second type of content to be displayed at the third        location via the particular wearable extended reality appliance    -   receiving an indication of a fourth location of the particular        wearable extended reality appliance    -   performing a fourth lookup in the repository for a match between        the fourth location and a fourth extended reality display rule        associating the particular wearable extended reality appliance        with the fourth location, wherein the fourth extended reality        display rule prevents the first type of content display and the        second type of content from being displayed in the fourth        location    -   implementing the fourth extended reality display rule to prevent        seventh instances of the first type of content and eighth        instances of the second type of content from being displayed at        the fourth location via the particular wearable extended reality        appliance    -   operations for managing privacy in an extended reality        environment    -   receiving image data from an image sensor associated with a        wearable extended reality appliance, the image data is        reflective of a physical environment    -   accessing data characterizing a plurality of virtual objects for        association with locations in the physical environment, the data        representing a first virtual object and a second virtual object    -   accessing privacy settings classifying at least one of the first        virtual object and a location of the first virtual object as        private, classifying a first extended reality appliance as        approved for presentation of private information, and        classifying a second extended reality appliance as non-approved        for presentation of the private information    -   simultaneously enabling a presentation of an augmented viewing        of the physical environment, such that during the simultaneous        presentation, the first extended reality appliance presents the        first virtual object and the second virtual object in the        physical environment, and the second extended reality appliance        presents the second virtual object, omitting presentation of the        first virtual object in compliance with the privacy settings        when the privacy settings classify as private a first location        associated with the first virtual object, designating other        virtual objects in the first location as private and blocking        the other virtual objects from display via the second extended        reality appliance    -   when the privacy settings classify as private a first location        associated with the first virtual object, detecting a        user-initiated movement of the first virtual object to a second        location    -   in response to the user-initiated movement, enabling the second        extended reality appliance to present the first virtual object        and the second virtual object    -   when the privacy settings classify as private a first location        associated with the first virtual object, detecting a        user-initiated movement of the second virtual object to the        first location, and in response to the user-initiated movement,        preventing the second extended reality appliance from presenting        the second virtual object    -   when the privacy settings classify the first virtual object as        private, detecting a user-initiated movement of the first        virtual object to a second location, and in response to the        user-initiated movement, preventing the second extended reality        appliance from presenting the first virtual object at the second        location    -   when the privacy settings classify the first virtual object as        private, detecting a user-initiated movement of the second        virtual object to a first location associated with the first        virtual object, and enabling the second extended reality        appliance to present the second virtual object at the first        location    -   the privacy settings further classify at least one of the second        virtual object and a location of the second virtual object as        public    -   when the privacy settings classify a second location associated        with the second virtual object as public, detecting a        user-initiated movement of the first virtual object to the        second location, and in response to the user-initiated movement,        enabling the second extended reality appliance to present the        first virtual object    -   enabling the simultaneous presentation includes causing the        second extended reality appliance to present the second virtual        object at a second location associated with the second virtual        object and to present a distorted representation of the first        virtual object at the location of the first virtual object in        compliance with the privacy settings    -   presenting via the wearable extended reality appliance at least        one of an indication that the first virtual object is classified        as private, an indication that a location associated with the        first virtual object is classified as private and an indication        that at least one of the first virtual object and the location        associated with the first virtual object is classified as        private    -   receiving an input identifying a specific region of the physical        environment as private    -   when the received input includes image data, analyzing the image        data using an object detection algorithm to detect a physical        object in the specific region of the physical environment, and        identifying the specific region of the physical environment as        private based on the detected physical object    -   when the physical object is movable, analyzing the image data to        identify a movement of the physical object out of the specific        region of the physical environment, and reclassifying the        specific region of the physical environment as public in        response to the movement of the physical object    -   classifying the first virtual object as private when a distance        of the first virtual object from the specific region of the        physical environment is less than a threshold distance    -   reclassifying the first virtual object as public when a location        of the first virtual object changes from the specific region to        a location outside the specific region of the physical        environment    -   classifying the first virtual object as private when the first        virtual object is docked to a physical object included in the        specific region of the physical environment    -   when the physical object is movable, during the simultaneous        presentation, other virtual objects in proximity to a current        location of the physical object are also blocked from display        via the second extended reality appliance    -   analyzing the image data using an object detection algorithm to        detect a physical object in a particular region of the physical        environment, and classifying the particular region of the        physical environment as public based on the detected physical        object    -   operations for capturing extended reality environments    -   receiving image data representing at least a 140 degrees field        of view of a physical environment, the image data being received        from at least one image sensor associated with a wearable        extended reality appliance    -   virtually associating at least two extended reality objects with        a composite perspective of the physical environment    -   the at least two extended reality objects are spaced apart by at        least 140 degrees from a point of view of the wearable extended        reality appliance    -   displaying, via the wearable extended reality appliance and        during a particular time period, changes in one of the at least        two extended reality objects while refraining from displaying        changes in another of the at least two extended reality objects    -   enabling non-synchronous display of concurrent changes in the at        least two extended reality objects that took place during the        particular time period    -   when the at least one image sensor includes a plurality of image        sensors, constructing the composite perspective of the physical        environment from image data captured by the plurality of image        sensors    -   when the at least one image sensor includes a single image        sensor configured to sequentially capture differing portions of        the field of view, constructing the composite perspective of the        physical environment from the sequentially captured differing        portions of the field of view    -   the composite perspective of the physical environment is based        on image data captured prior to the particular time period    -   updating the composite perspective of the physical environment        based on image data captured during the particular time period    -   using the composite perspective to generate a representation of        the physical environment during the particular time period, and        wherein the non-synchronous display includes a presentation of        the representation of the physical environment    -   a portion of the representation of the physical environment is        generated artificially based on the captured image data    -   the portion of the representation artificially generated has        display parameters different from display parameters of other        portions of the representation associated with regions of the        physical environment that were captured by the at least one        image sensor    -   at differing times during the particular time period, differing        portions of the representation are artificially generated    -   analyzing the image data to identify a private portion of the        physical environment and a public portion of the physical        environment    -   including the public portion of the physical environment in the        representation of the physical environment while excluding the        private portion of the physical environment from the        representation of the physical environment    -   the non-synchronous display includes a virtual representation of        at least one of a wearer of the wearable extended reality        appliance or the wearable extended reality appliance    -   the non-synchronous display includes a bird's-eye view of an        extended reality environment including the at least two extended        reality overlying the composite perspective of the physical        environment    -   enabling the non-synchronous display includes enabling a viewer        to toggle between viewing only a representation of the physical        environment, viewing only an extended reality environment        including the at least two extended reality objects, or viewing        a representation of both the physical environment and the        extended reality environment    -   the non-synchronous display depicts a first extended reality        object included in a first portion of an extended reality        environment differently from a second extended reality object        included in a second portion of the extended reality environment        to differentiate between the first portion previously viewed and        the second portion previously not viewed    -   the non-synchronous display depicts a first extended reality        object included in a first portion of an extended reality        environment differently from a second extended reality object        included in a second portion of the extended reality environment        to differentiate between the first portion displayed via the        wearable extended reality appliance and the second portion not        displayed via the wearable extended reality appliance    -   enabling the non-synchronous display includes enabling a        viewer-selectable perspective for viewing the at least two        extended reality objects    -   enabling at least one viewer other than a wearer of the wearable        extended reality appliance to view the concurrent changes in        real time    -   enabling the non-synchronous display includes enabling a first        viewer other than a wearer of the wearable extended reality        appliance to view the concurrent changes from a first        perspective and enabling a second viewer other than the wearer        to view the concurrent changes from a second perspective    -   operations for managing an extended reality conference    -   facilitating a multi-participant video conference between a        plurality of physically dispersed participants    -   enabling, via a wearable extended reality appliance, viewing of        a first environment representing a physical space and a second        peripheral environment    -   enabling a display of the plurality of participants in the        second peripheral environment, the plurality of participants        including a first participant and a second participant    -   receiving a first selection of the first participant in the        second peripheral environment for virtual movement to the first        environment    -   receiving a first environmental placement location associated        with the first selection, wherein the first environmental        placement location corresponds to a first region of the physical        space    -   in response to the first selection and the first environmental        placement location, moving a virtual representation of the first        participant to the first environment in a manner simulating the        first participant physically located in the first region of the        physical space while the second participant remains in the        second peripheral environment    -   receiving a second selection of the second participant in the        second peripheral environment for virtual movement to the first        environment    -   receiving a second environmental placement location associated        with the second selection, wherein the second environmental        placement location corresponds to a second region of the        physical space different from the first region    -   in response to the second selection and the second environmental        placement location, moving a virtual representation of the        second participant to the first environment in a manner        simulating the second participant physically located in the        second region of the physical space, such that when viewed        through the wearable extended reality appliance, the first        participant and the second participant are simulated as being        physically present simultaneously in the first environment    -   the first environment corresponds to the physical space in which        the wearable extended reality appliance is located, and enabling        viewing the first environment via the wearable extended reality        appliance includes permitting a view-through of the physical        space    -   the first environment corresponds to the physical space in which        the wearable extended reality appliance is located, and enabling        viewing the first environment via the wearable extended reality        appliance includes enabling projection of a virtual        representation of the physical space    -   enabling a remote display of the virtual representation of the        physical space with the virtual representations of the first        participant and the second participant, while withholding from        viewing via the remote display the second peripheral environment    -   enabling the remote display of the virtual representation of the        physical space includes outputting signals for causing the        virtual representation of the physical space to be viewable on        additional wearable extended reality appliances    -   the second peripheral environment corresponds to a physical        screen in proximity to the wearable extended reality appliance,        and enabling viewing the second peripheral environment via the        wearable extended reality appliance includes permitting a        view-through of the physical screen    -   the second peripheral environment corresponds to a virtual        screen in proximity to the wearable extended reality appliance,        and enabling viewing the second peripheral environment via the        wearable extended reality appliance includes outputting signals        for projecting the virtual screen via the wearable extended        reality appliance    -   moving a virtual representation of a particular participant to        the first environment in a manner simulating the particular        participant physically located in a particular region of the        physical space includes processing video streams of the        particular participant to remove a background initially        associated with the particular participant    -   moving a virtual representation of a particular participant to        the first environment in a manner simulating the particular        participant physically located in a particular region of the        physical space includes processing a two-dimensional video        stream of the particular participant to generate a        three-dimensional representation of the particular participant    -   moving a virtual representation of a particular participant to        the first environment in a manner simulating the particular        participant physically located in a particular region of the        physical space includes displaying the virtual representation of        the particular participant in the first environment and omitting        the virtual representation of the particular participant from        the second peripheral environment    -   the first region of the physical space includes a physical        object, and moving the virtual representation of the first        participant includes overlying the virtual representation of the        first participant on the physical object    -   the first region of the physical space is associated with        physical conditions, and moving the virtual representation of        the first participant includes adjusting presentation        characteristics of the virtual representation of the first        participant based on the physical conditions    -   analyzing image data captured by an image sensor associated with        the wearable extended reality appliance after moving the virtual        representation of the first participant to the first environment        to identify a change in the physical conditions    -   in response to the change in the physical conditions,        readjusting the presentation characteristics of the virtual        representation of the first participant to account for the        changed physical conditions    -   analyzing image data captured by an image sensor associated with        the wearable extended reality appliance after moving the virtual        representation of the first participant to the first environment        to identify a change in the physical conditions    -   in response to the change in the physical conditions, moving the        virtual representation of the first participant in the first        environment in a manner simulating the first participant        physically located in a third region of the physical space        different from the first region    -   the change in the physical conditions has no effect on physical        conditions associated with the second region, and in response to        the change in the physical conditions associated with the first        region, moving the virtual representation of the second        participant in the first environment in a manner simulating the        second participant physically located in a fourth region of the        physical space different from the first region and the second        region    -   after moving the virtual representation of the first participant        and the virtual representation of the second participant to the        first environment, receiving input from an individual using the        wearable extended reality appliance, wherein the input is        indicative of a particular position in the physical space    -   determining that the particular position is associated with the        first region    -   in response to the determination that the particular position is        associated with the first region, presenting through the        wearable extended reality appliance a plurality of actionable        virtual objects, wherein each actionable virtual object of the        plurality of actionable virtual objects enables the individual        to activate a different functionality associated with the first        participant    -   receiving a selection of a particular actionable virtual object        of the plurality of actionable virtual objects, wherein the        particular actionable virtual object is associated with a        particular functionality associated with the first participant    -   in response to the selection of the particular actionable        virtual object, initiating the particular functionality        associated with the first participant    -   initiating the particular functionality includes establishing a        private communication channel between the individual and the        first participant    -   initiating the particular functionality includes moving the        virtual representation of the first participant back to the        second peripheral environment    -   operations for managing extended reality video conferences    -   receiving a request to initiate a video conference between a        plurality of participants    -   receiving image data captured by at least one image sensor        associated with a wearable extended reality appliance, the image        data reflecting a layout of a physical environment in which the        wearable extended reality appliance is located    -   analyzing the image data to identify at least one interference        region in the physical environment    -   receiving visual representations of the plurality of        participants    -   causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display the        visual representations of the plurality of participants at        multiple distinct locations other than in the at least one        interference region, such that the at least one interference        region is devoid of any of the visual representations of the        plurality of participants    -   analyzing the image data to identify at least one interference        region includes performing image recognition analysis to        identify in the physical environment at least one of a window, a        display, or an egress    -   analyzing the image data to identify at least one interference        region includes performing image recognition analysis to        identify in the physical environment an area with light brighter        than light in other areas of the physical environment    -   the identification of the at least one interference region        includes analyzing the image data to identify an inanimate        object in the physical environment    -   analyzing the image data to determine presentation        characteristics for at least one of the visual representations    -   the presentation characteristics include dimensions, and the        dimensions of at least one of the visual representations are        determined to account for an existence of one or more physical        objects in the physical environment    -   receiving a location selection corresponding to a portion of the        physical environment; confirming that the selected portion of        the physical environment is devoid of any interference regions    -   causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display the        visual representation of at least one of the plurality of        participants at the portion of the physical environment    -   when the plurality of participants is a selected part of a group        of participants, receiving a selection of the plurality of        participants    -   causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display the        visual representations of participants included in the selected        part of the group of participants while omitting from the        display the visual representations of participants excluded from        the selected part of the group of participants    -   after causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display        the visual representations, identifying a speaking participant        and moving a particular visual representation associated with        the speaking participant to a designated area    -   the designated area includes a predetermined speaker location    -   determining a region of focus of a wearer of the wearable        extended reality appliance, and moving the particular visual        representation to a new location in the region of focus    -   selecting the designated area based on a vision problem of a        wearer of the wearable extended reality appliance    -   moving the particular visual representation associated with the        speaking participant to the designated area includes moving a        specific visual representation associated with a previously        speaking participant different from the speaking participant        from the designated area    -   after causing the wearable extended reality appliance to display        the visual representations, identifying a speaking participant        and changing visual characteristics of a particular visual        representation associated with the speaking participant to        designate the speaking participant    -   changing the visual characteristics of the particular visual        representation includes enlarging the particular visual        representation    -   changing the visual characteristics of the particular visual        representation includes virtually illuminating the particular        visual representation    -   accessing a group of placement rules associating possible        locations with layout of physical spaces; determining that the        layout of the physical environment corresponds to one or more of        the placement rules; and implementing the corresponding one or        more rules to cause the wearable extended reality appliance to        display the visual representations at the multiple distinct        locations

While certain features of the described implementations have beenillustrated as described herein, many modifications, substitutions,changes and equivalents will now occur to those skilled in the art. Itis, therefore, to be understood that the appended claims are intended tocover all such modifications and changes as fall within the scope of theimplementations. It should be understood that they have been presentedby way of example only, not limitation, and various changes in form anddetails may be made. Any portion of the apparatus and/or methodsdescribed herein may be combined in any combination, except mutuallyexclusive combinations. The implementations described herein can includevarious combinations and/or sub-combinations of the functions,components and/or features of the different implementations described.

The foregoing description has been presented for purposes ofillustration. It is not exhaustive and is not limited to the preciseforms or embodiments disclosed. Modifications and adaptations of theembodiments will be apparent from consideration of the specification andpractice of the disclosed embodiments. For example, the describedimplementations include hardware and software, but systems and methodsconsistent with the present disclosure may be implemented as hardwarealone.

It is appreciated that the above-described embodiments can beimplemented by hardware, or software (program codes), or a combinationof hardware and software. If implemented by software, it can be storedin the above-described computer-readable media. The software, whenexecuted by the processor can perform the disclosed methods. Thecomputing units and other functional units described in the presentdisclosure can be implemented by hardware, or software, or a combinationof hardware and software. One of ordinary skill in the art will alsounderstand that multiple ones of the above-described modules/units canbe combined as one module or unit, and each of the above-describedmodules/units can be further divided into a plurality of sub-modules orsub-units.

The block diagrams in the figures illustrate the architecture,functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems,methods, and computer hardware or software products according to variousexample embodiments of the present disclosure. In this regard, eachblock in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment,or portion of code, which includes one or more executable instructionsfor implementing the specified logical functions. It should beunderstood that in some alternative implementations, functions indicatedin a block may occur out of order noted in the figures. For example, twoblocks shown in succession may be executed or implemented substantiallyconcurrently, or two blocks may sometimes be executed in reverse order,depending upon the functionality involved. Some blocks may also beomitted. It should also be understood that each block of the blockdiagrams, and combination of the blocks, may be implemented by specialpurpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions oracts, or by combinations of special purpose hardware and computerinstructions.

In the foregoing specification, embodiments have been described withreference to numerous specific details that can vary from implementationto implementation. Certain adaptations and modifications of thedescribed embodiments can be made. Other embodiments can be apparent tothose skilled in the art from consideration of the specification andpractice of the invention disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as example only, with a truescope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the followingclaims. It is also intended that the sequence of steps shown in figuresare only for illustrative purposes and are not intended to be limited toany particular sequence of steps. As such, those skilled in the art canappreciate that these steps can be performed in a different order whileimplementing the same method.

It will be appreciated that the embodiments of the present disclosureare not limited to the exact construction that has been described aboveand illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and that variousmodifications and changes may be made without departing from the scopethereof. And other embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in theart from consideration of the specification and practice of thedisclosed embodiments disclosed herein. It is intended that thespecification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a truescope and spirit of the disclosed embodiments being indicated by thefollowing claims.

Moreover, while illustrative embodiments have been described herein, thescope includes any and all embodiments having equivalent elements,modifications, omissions, combinations (e.g., of aspects across variousembodiments), adaptations or alterations based on the presentdisclosure. The elements in the claims are to be interpreted broadlybased on the language employed in the claims and not limited to examplesdescribed in the present specification or during the prosecution of theapplication. These examples are to be construed as non-exclusive.Further, the steps of the disclosed methods can be modified in anymanner, including by reordering steps or inserting or deleting steps. Itis intended, therefore, that the specification and examples beconsidered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit beingindicated by the following claims and their full scope of equivalents.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer readable mediumcontaining instructions that when executed by at least one processorcause the at least one processor to perform operations for managing anextended reality conference, the operations comprising: facilitating amulti-participant video conference between a plurality of physicallydispersed participants; enabling, via a wearable extended realityappliance, viewing of a first environment representing a physical spaceand a second peripheral environment; enabling a display of the pluralityof participants in the second peripheral environment, the plurality ofparticipants including a first participant and a second participant;receiving a first selection of the first participant in the secondperipheral environment for virtual movement to the first environment;receiving a first environmental placement location associated with thefirst selection, wherein the first environmental placement locationcorresponds to a first region of the physical space; in response to thefirst selection and the first environmental placement location, moving avirtual representation of the first participant to the first environmentin a manner simulating the first participant physically located in thefirst region of the physical space while the second participant remainsin the second peripheral environment; receiving a second selection ofthe second participant in the second peripheral environment for virtualmovement to the first environment; receiving a second environmentalplacement location associated with the second selection, wherein thesecond environmental placement location corresponds to a second regionof the physical space different from the first region; and in responseto the second selection and the second environmental placement location,moving a virtual representation of the second participant to the firstenvironment in a manner simulating the second participant physicallylocated in the second region of the physical space, such that whenviewed through the wearable extended reality appliance, the firstparticipant and the second participant are simulated as being physicallypresent simultaneously in the first environment.
 2. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first environmentcorresponds to the physical space in which the wearable extended realityappliance is located, and enabling viewing the first environment via thewearable extended reality appliance includes permitting a view-throughof the physical space.
 3. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 1, wherein the first environment corresponds to the physical spacein which the wearable extended reality appliance is located, andenabling viewing the first environment via the wearable extended realityappliance includes enabling projection of a virtual representation ofthe physical space.
 4. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 3, wherein the operations further comprise enabling a remotedisplay of the virtual representation of the physical space with thevirtual representations of the first participant and the secondparticipant, while withholding from viewing via the remote display thesecond peripheral environment.
 5. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 4, wherein enabling the remote display of the virtualrepresentation of the physical space includes outputting signals forcausing the virtual representation of the physical space to be viewableon additional wearable extended reality appliances.
 6. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the secondperipheral environment corresponds to a physical screen in proximity tothe wearable extended reality appliance, and enabling viewing the secondperipheral environment via the wearable extended reality applianceincludes permitting a view-through of the physical screen.
 7. Thenon-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the secondperipheral environment corresponds to a virtual screen in proximity tothe wearable extended reality appliance, and enabling viewing the secondperipheral environment via the wearable extended reality applianceincludes outputting signals for projecting the virtual screen via thewearable extended reality appliance.
 8. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 1, wherein moving a virtual representation of aparticular participant to the first environment in a manner simulatingthe particular participant physically located in a particular region ofthe physical space includes processing video streams of the particularparticipant to remove a background initially associated with theparticular participant.
 9. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 1, wherein moving a virtual representation of a particularparticipant to the first environment in a manner simulating theparticular participant physically located in a particular region of thephysical space includes processing a two-dimensional video stream of theparticular participant to generate a three-dimensional representation ofthe particular participant.
 10. The non-transitory computer readablemedium of claim 1, wherein moving a virtual representation of aparticular participant to the first environment in a manner simulatingthe particular participant physically located in a particular region ofthe physical space includes displaying the virtual representation of theparticular participant in the first environment and omitting the virtualrepresentation of the particular participant from the second peripheralenvironment.
 11. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 1,wherein the first region of the physical space includes a physicalobject, and moving the virtual representation of the first participantincludes overlying the virtual representation of the first participanton the physical object.
 12. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 1, wherein the first region of the physical space is associatedwith physical conditions, and moving the virtual representation of thefirst participant includes adjusting presentation characteristics of thevirtual representation of the first participant based on the physicalconditions.
 13. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 12,wherein the operations further comprise: analyzing image data capturedby an image sensor associated with the wearable extended realityappliance after moving the virtual representation of the firstparticipant to the first environment to identify a change in thephysical conditions; and in response to the change in the physicalconditions, readjusting the presentation characteristics of the virtualrepresentation of the first participant to account for the changedphysical conditions.
 14. The non-transitory computer readable medium ofclaim 12, wherein the operations further comprise: analyzing image datacaptured by an image sensor associated with the wearable extendedreality appliance after moving the virtual representation of the firstparticipant to the first environment to identify a change in thephysical conditions; and in response to the change in the physicalconditions, moving the virtual representation of the first participantin the first environment in a manner simulating the first participantphysically located in a third region of the physical space differentfrom the first region.
 15. The non-transitory computer readable mediumof claim 14, wherein the change in the physical conditions has no effecton physical conditions associated with the second region, and whereinthe operations further comprise, in response to the change in thephysical conditions associated with the first region, moving the virtualrepresentation of the second participant in the first environment in amanner simulating the second participant physically located in a fourthregion of the physical space different from the first region and thesecond region.
 16. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim1, wherein the operations further comprise: after moving the virtualrepresentation of the first participant and the virtual representationof the second participant to the first environment, receiving input froman individual using the wearable extended reality appliance, wherein theinput is indicative of a particular position in the physical space;determining that the particular position is associated with the firstregion; in response to the determination that the particular position isassociated with the first region, presenting through the wearableextended reality appliance a plurality of actionable virtual objects,wherein each actionable virtual object of the plurality of actionablevirtual objects enables the individual to activate a differentfunctionality associated with the first participant; receiving aselection of a particular actionable virtual object of the plurality ofactionable virtual objects, wherein the particular actionable virtualobject is associated with a particular functionality associated with thefirst participant; and in response to the selection of the particularactionable virtual object, initiating the particular functionalityassociated with the first participant.
 17. The non-transitory computerreadable medium of claim 16, wherein initiating the particularfunctionality includes establishing a private communication channelbetween the individual and the first participant.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer readable medium of claim 16, wherein initiating the particularfunctionality includes moving the virtual representation of the firstparticipant back to the second peripheral environment.
 19. A method formanaging an extended reality conference, the method comprising:facilitating a multi-participant video conference between a plurality ofphysically dispersed participants; enabling, via a wearable extendedreality appliance, viewing of a first environment representing aphysical space and a second peripheral environment; enabling a displayof the plurality of participants in the second peripheral environment,the plurality of participants including a first participant and a secondparticipant; receiving a first selection of the first participant in thesecond peripheral environment for virtual movement to the firstenvironment; receiving a first environmental placement locationassociated with the first selection, wherein the first environmentalplacement location corresponds to a first region of the physical space;in response to the first selection and the first environmental placementlocation, moving a virtual representation of the first participant tothe first environment in a manner simulating the first participantphysically located in the first region of the physical space while thesecond participant remains in the second peripheral environment;receiving a second selection of the second participant in the secondperipheral environment for virtual movement to the first environment;receiving a second environmental placement location associated with thesecond selection, wherein the second environmental placement locationcorresponds to a second region of the physical space different from thefirst region; and in response to the second selection and the secondenvironmental placement location, moving a virtual representation of thesecond participant to the first environment in a manner simulating thesecond participant physically located in the second region of thephysical space, such that when viewed through the wearable extendedreality appliance, the first participant and the second participant aresimulated as being physically present simultaneously in the firstenvironment.
 20. A system for managing an extended reality conference,the system comprising: at least one processing device configured to:facilitate a multi-participant video conference between a plurality ofphysically dispersed participants; enable, via a wearable extendedreality appliance, viewing of a first environment representing aphysical space and a second peripheral environment; enable a display ofthe plurality of participants in the second peripheral environment, theplurality of participants including a first participant and a secondparticipant; receive a first selection of the first participant in thesecond peripheral environment for virtual movement to the firstenvironment; receive a first environmental placement location associatedwith the first selection, wherein the first environmental placementlocation corresponds to a first region of the physical space; inresponse to the first selection and the first environmental placementlocation, move a virtual representation of the first participant to thefirst environment in a manner simulating the first participantphysically located in the first region of the physical space while thesecond participant remains in the second peripheral environment; receivea second selection of the second participant in the second peripheralenvironment for virtual movement to the first environment; receive asecond environmental placement location associated with the secondselection, wherein the second environmental placement locationcorresponds to a second region of the physical space different from thefirst region; and in response to the second selection and the secondenvironmental placement location, move a virtual representation of thesecond participant to the first environment in a manner simulating thesecond participant physically located in the second region of thephysical space, such that when viewed through the wearable extendedreality appliance, the first participant and the second participant aresimulated as being physically present simultaneously in the firstenvironment.